Unraveling the Knight
by LordHellPhoenix
Summary: Jaune Arc was considered the whipping boy for most of Beacon. But when he is at his lowest, his past will come back to haunt him. With his sanity unraveling, no one is safe from his hunger and fury. Especially, his seven friends. (Heavily inspired by Tokyo Ghoul. Warning: will be dark & have many character deaths.)
1. The Knightmare Begins

Unraveling the Knight

Jaune was sitting on the rooftop of the dorms. He was just staring over the horizon, depressed. The day he was having was great up until his combat class. He was paired up against Cardin, again. He was doing well at first. The training he was going through with Pyrrha was helping him in leaps and bounds. He thought he actually had a chance to finally win. Fate had another plan for him.

As he was charging towards Cardin, he tripped and landed on his face. At least, that's what it looked like to everyone else. In actuality, his body had pain shooting through it. It felt like his body was flooded with fire and electricity, all originating from his stomach. From the small amount of food he forced himself to eat.

As he was dealing with the pain, Cardin took advantage and slammed his mace into his stomach. The force sent him flying then tumbling across the floor. When he stopped, he managed to get onto his hands and knees. He knew what was coming and tried to stop it. But he couldn't and vomited all over the floor below him. That immediately caused the entire class to laugh at him and solidify his nickname as Vomit Boy.

Out of humiliation, he forfeited the match and just walked out of the arena. When he met up with his friends, he could just see them trying to act nice but he could see humor and disgust hidden in their eyes. He did his best to ignore that and all the rumors around him. He put on his usual smile and carried on with his day. That smile became more and more strained as the day went on. And by the end of it, he asked Pyrrha for the night off and headed up to the roof to be alone.

His depressed mood didn't help with his stomach growling like crazy. He tried to eat at dinner, tried to force more food down, but his body wasn't having it. He excused himself and went to the bathroom where he vomited everything again. His body wasn't going to have it. And he knew perfectly well what his body wanted, needed, but he'd be damned if he gave it that. He'd rather starve than resort to it.

That's when he heard the footsteps behind him and assumed it was one of his friends, probably Pyrrha. But that's when he heard the voice he never wanted to hear again, " _Why the long face, Jaune?"_

The voice caused him to freeze before he slowly started to look down. "Go away." He said with as much conviction as he could muster.

The voice just chuckled, " _Don't be like that. I'm the closest friend you have._ " The voice was nearing him along with the footsteps growing louder.

It sounded like a distorted version of his own and that just put him on edge. "You aren't my friend." His voice was now filled with venom.

" _And I suppose that group that just puts up with you are?_ " the voice just cackled. " _Not a chance._ "

He felt a hand land on his shoulder. Jaune quickly smacked it away and looked at the owner of the voice. They were an almost exact copy on himself. Just that his hair was long enough to cover his eyes and it was stark white. He was wearing white shorts and a black t-shirt, both torn and covered in blood. His feet were bare and he could see that his nails were black on his toes and fingers, from being smashed so often. "Don't touch me." Jaune uttered in a hate filled tone.

The twisted version of him just gave him a just as twisted grin. " _Isn't that what you said to that bastard Watts as he experimented on you?_ "

Jaune's eyes widened as memories came flooding back. Being strapped to a metal slab. Being injected with vial upon vial of substances. Being cut open and having things transplanted in him. He placed a hand on his forehead, "Shut up…"

The twisted him tilted his head slightly, " _So, you do remember. What about how that fucker Tyrian torturing you?_ "

More memories came forth. Being shackled to a chair. Being cut into by his wrist blades. Being shot repeatedly and nonfatally. Being stung by his stinger and suffering from the venom flooding his veins. Meanwhile, the lunatic just laughed and laughed. Jaune now had two hands gripping his head. "Shut up."

The twisted him somehow got behind him and lent over his shoulder to speak into his ear, " _What about when you finally broke? And you killed them, both of them. Destroyed the damned lab and everything inside. And what you finally ate._ "

"Shut up!" Jaune screamed. "They were monsters and that was self-defense. But they didn't deserve what you did. No one does."

" _What about your family than? Was that self-defense?_ " He asked as he paced slowly behind Jaune. " _You finally got reunited and you were all happy. Until they found out what you were now. They feared you. And one night, when you were sleeping, they tried to kill you. I think they deserved what they got, don't you?_ "

Tears were falling down his cheeks. "Shut up." He said weakly. "I didn't want that. I didn't do that." He looked back at him. "You did. You killed them. You…you-" he couldn't continue because he gagged at what happened to his family a year ago.

The twisted him just chuckled. " _I did. I did what you were too weak, too soft to do._ " He tilted his head and his hair moved enough to reveal his right eye. His sclera was black with glowing red veins in them. His iris was blood red. " _I made us survive._ "

Jaune looked away in disgust. But the twisted him didn't stop. " _And you've done a piss poor job of doing so since then._ " His voice gained an angry undertone. " _You locked me away with all your pain and memories. You came here, to Beacon, to get away from what you did and try to 'repent' for what you did._ " He rolled his eyes, " _You could be the strongest of your year if you stopped trying to be what you're not: human._ "

Jaune wanted to ignore it but he knew it was true. He wasn't human anymore, but he wasn't what Watts had called him either. "I'm no Ghoul."

He heard his Ghoul side laugh, " _No, you aren't. We are so much more. We're half human and half-Ghoul. We have the best of both. But you want to hide from that reality._ " His voice took on a disappointed tone. " _You want to pretend to be human. You drink coffee to curb your hunger but it's not enough. So, you force your body to eat food you can't eat to gain very little nutrients to survive. You can only eat a sixth of what a person should and you put yourself through pain to do so. Meanwhile, your body is steadily declining._ "

Everything he was saying was true but he didn't want to listen. He had too many people that relied on him. "My friends, my team, they need me. Not a monster."

" _You sure about that?_ " His Ghoul half asked. " _If that's true, they don't really show it. Look at RWBY. The other three only put up with you because of Ruby, nothing more. Yang just sees you as one big joke, Blake barely says two words to you and Weiss simply loathes you. Hell, even Ruby only does so because you are her 'first friend'._ " He still had that damned grin on his face. _"And your team? Nora insults you then claims it's a joke. Ren only puts up with you because he has to. And Pyrrha? Well, she can't exactly have a weak partner, can she?_ "

Jaune shook his head to try and dispel what he just heard. "That's a lie. I-I don't believe you."

His Ghoul half just shrugged, " _Believe what you want. You'll see soon enough, just give it time. Especially, with how CRDL still treats you. You saved Cardin's ass and he left you and your 'friends' alone. But that lasted, what, two weeks before he started to mess with you again._ " He then sat down next to Jaune, " _You know, you don't need to put up with that. Just let me have a few words with him._ "

Jaune looked over to him with anger and hate. "You leave them alone." He then got up and started to walk to the door.

He was about halfway there when another voice got his attention. "Well, look at this. What are you doing up here, Jauney boy?"

Jaune froze and turned around. His Ghoul half was gone and standing near the edge was Cardin. Jaune's eyes widened, "Cardin? What are you doing here?"

He smirked as he walked towards him, "Well, I was just in my room, just relaxing. But that's when I heard you talking. I thought you were talking to Nikos but it turns out you were talking to yourself." He chuckled, "Man, you have some _real_ issues. Now I know why you used those fake transcripts, you are _that_ crazy."

Jaune was frozen, what was he supposed to do? "Don't you worry, Jauney Boy. I'm good at keeping secrets, you know that. So, I'll be quiet as long as you do something for me first." He got closer and put him in a headlock. Jaune was having some serious Déjà vu right now. "Just help me get some dirt on those bitches on RWBY and I won't go to Goodwitch about this. I'm not proud of this but it's been too long since I got some and I'm sure most of them know their way around the bedroom. Especially, Xiao Long."

Jaune was shocked by what Cardin just said. Cardin just dropped him and started to walk away as Jaune just stared at him in shock, disgust and anger. That's when he started to run his mouth again. "Who knows, maybe you could get me the hat trick." He started to laugh and Jaune was just glaring ta him with so much hate. No one said that about his friends.

The world started to go grey and it was like time was slowing down. He felt a hand on his right shoulder as he felt someone lean over his left before whispering, " _He shouldn't be able to say things like that about them, should he? Just get some rest, Jaune. Let me handle this and when you wake up, this problem will be solved._ "

He didn't want to listen, to trust this side of him. But even he had his limits and Cardin was stepping over the line. But Cardin didn't deserve what would happen to him if he let his other half go. But, he couldn't stop his eyes from slowly closing and his consciousness leaving. The last thing he heard was, " _Sleep well, Jaune._ "

Jaune's head fell slightly before it rose again. His eyes were obscured by his hair as a twisted grin came across his face. " _Hey, Cardin!_ "

When Cardin turned, Jaune was standing in front of him. Jaune grabbed him by his throat and he was lifted off his feet. Cardin struggled against his grip but it was doing very little. He looked into Jaune's eyes and saw that his right was now black and red and holding a crazed light to it. Meanwhile, his left was still blue but cold and emotionless. His lips were settled into a twisted grin that just spoke volumes about his mindset. " _Here's a better idea. Go to hell!_ " He pulled his arm back and threw the larger boy away from the dorms and into the courtyard.

The Ghoul watched as Cardin flew while screaming. He then dropped down and kicked his foot into the wall, stopping him from falling and stopping to look into CRDL's room. He saw Russel and Sky at the window, looking at where Cardin just flew. They looked at Jaune and froze as his hands grabbed both their throats. " _You're not getting out of this._ " He then threw both of them towards where Cardin was. He looked back in and saw Dove standing away from the window. He jumped in and grabbed him too as he walked to the window and threw him with the rest of his team. He watched them fly for a bit before jumping after them.

When he landed he saw all of CRDL getting back to their feet. He looked back over to Beacon and was pleased to see he wasn't too rusty. They were just far enough away so no one should hear them without actively trying. Cardin stared at him in anger, "You're so dead, Arc."

The Ghoul just popped his neck. " _Then you better call your weapons._ "

They all looked at him in confusion before they shrugged. Cardin had a cruel smirk as he tapped on his scroll. "You asked for this." Soon their lockers landed close by and they all grabbed their weapons. The Ghoul however didn't even flinch. He charged at them at incredible speeds. Sky and Dove open fired at him but he easily bobbed and weaved through them. As he was on them, he spun and caught Sky with a roundhouse kick that sent him flying. He continued to spin and caught Dove as well, sending him away.

 **(Play Unravel.)**

Cardin swung overhead and tried to land his mace on top of his head. The Ghoul just caught it without effort and sent a jab into Cardin's face. As he was reeling back, the Ghoul delivered a kick to his chest. He used the momentum to flip and while upside down, kicked Russel into the ground.

He landed in a crouch with his feet and hands on the ground. He then pushed off with all his limbs and rocketed towards Cardin. He flipped and tried to go for an axe kick but Cardin somehow grabbed it, holding him in place. The Ghoul just punched him on either side of his head, disorientating him. He then pulled his leg free and gave him a vertical thrust kick.

That's when RDL ran at him from behind, left and right. He simply jumped into the air and flipped over Russel. When he was behind him, he just punched him in the back and sent him tumbling forward. Sky jumped into the air to lunge at him but he just took a step back and let it miss him. He grabbed his halberd and connecting an uppercut to his sternum to send him back. By then, Dove was almost on him and he just jumped to give him a knee to his chin. He collapsed backwards and the Ghoul turned his attention to Cardin who was barely on his feet.

He ran towards him and Cardin swung, creating an explosion that sent him flying and tumbling across the ground. He was breathing raggedly, "I'll kill you, Arc. You hear me!? Kill you!"

He froze in fear as he saw Jaune walked out of the smoke with that same smirk on his face. He stopped and popped his index finger with his thumb. " _I should thank you. It's been a while since I last fought. Feels good to get used to this body again. Time to get serious though._ " With that said, four blood red and glowing tail like tentacles erupted out of his lower back. They reached full length before they lazily started to sway back and forth, just like tails.

CRDL stared over in fear, "What…What is that!?" Cardin asked.

The Ghoul just shuddered as he sighed in relief. He could feel his aura funnel out of his body and into them. " _So much better. Letting my Kagune out after so long is like…._ " He then popped his middle finger similar to his index. " _Popping a stiff joint._ " His Kagune then pointed at them, one over each shoulder and on either side of his waist. " _Time to show you, what I can really do!_ "

He ran forward again, even faster than before, he whipped two of his 'tails' to the right and the other two to his left. Knocking RDL away. He then tried to slam Cardin between all four of them but he just barely stepped back enough to avoid it. The Ghoul flipped and using his upper 'tails' to impale the ground and help him to bring his two lower ones down onto Cardin. He used his weapon to block it but the Ghoul used that to balance on as he pulled the tails in the ground free and tried to impale Cardin with them. Luck was on his side though, since he just managed to throw himself out of the way.

The ghoul was floating in the air, being held up by his Kagune. He turned his head and saw RDL standing. He jumped into the air and flipped forward, slamming all four tails into the ground. That created a crater for the three of them to lay in. The Ghoul stood tall and turned back to the petrified Cardin. His grin grew as he popped his ring finger and charged forward again. He sent his upper right tail forward. The result was that it punched completely through Cardin's left shoulder, who screamed in bloody murder.

The Ghoul tilted his head in confusion as his smirk slipped away. He pulled his upper left tail over his shoulder and examined it. He felt the aura going through it and smirked more and chuckled, " _With all our aura now in our Kagune, it can punch through aura without completely shattering it. Very nice._ "

Cardin was trying to pull out the Kagune in his shoulder, when the Ghoul looked over his shoulder to see Russel, Sky and Dove try to run away. " _Where do you think you're going?_ " His three tails shot forward and went through their backs and out their chests. He raised them into the air as they choked on their own blood and dropped their weapons. He unceremonially dropped their corpses and turned back to Cardin who just pissed himself. That was when the rest of his Kagune impaled his shins and forearm and pinned the once bully to the ground.

Cardin screamed in pain as the Ghoul crouched over him with that same smirk, " _Since we're suck good buddies, you mind if I eat you, do you?_ " He asked the stunned Cardin as he lent down and bit a chunk out of Cardin's shoulder. He screamed in pain as the Ghoul chewed his flesh. He swallowed before responding, " _You taste foul, like rotten meat. But I'm too starved to care._ " That's all he said a she resumed his meal.

Cardin screamed the entire time until he passed out from the pain. The Ghoul kept eating leaving just enough to identify the carcass. He then turned to the other three and did the same. Leaving much more of them though. He stood up and slowly wiped the blood from his mouth. " _I think I overate. Oh well, my first meal in over a year, so no harm._ " He pulled his Kagune back into his body as he started to walk back to Beacon. With the silence in the air, no one had heard anything. But, he should keep his ears open in case something comes up. He just shrugged, " _Who cares? Well, Jaune will but not for long._ " His twisted smirk came back in full. " _Just seven more to go. And it'll all be over._ "

* * *

 **A/N- Well, here it is. With Halloween just around the corner, I decided to write a horror story. This will be relatively short for what I usually write, should only be 7 or 8 chapters. I plan to get this all done by Halloween, so here's hoping. I would like to thank both Jauneforever and Khorevis, both were the Betas for this and really appreciate it. I consider them my friends and they are both some great writers with serious talent. Go check them out. On that note, hope you all liked the first chapter and I'll see you all in the next update!  
**


	2. A Knight of Terror

Unraveling the Knight

Jaune awoke the next morning in his bed, thoroughly confused. The last thing he remembered was being up on the roof by himself. When did he get back to his dorm? But the more dire question was: Why did he feel fine?

Even before coming to Beacon, he had been feeling agonizing hunger that was barely curbed by coffee. He would have to deal with that pain from the moment he woke up, up until he passed out that night, just to wake up to that pain and do it all over again. But this morning, he felt nothing. No pain. Just his body feeling…satisfied.

That's when the fog of his mind cleared and his eyes widened. He remembered. He remembered the Ghoul somehow showing up again and everything it had said to him. Then how Cardin had overheard 'them' and tried to use him, again. That's when the Ghoul spoke again and everything went black. All that added up to only one solution and it made his stomach turn.

He quickly threw his blankets off of himself and ran to the bathroom. He got to the sink and started to splash water on his face. It did little to help and he felt himself start to gag at the reality he faced. He placed his hand over his mouth and felt himself about to be sick. That was until _he_ spoke up, " _Don't even think about it._ "

Jaune looked into the mirror and saw the Ghoul leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom. He had his arms crossed and was giving him a serious look. But for once, his white hair wasn't blocking his eyes, so he could see the almost demonic orbs looking back at him. " _I did not put all that in us, just so you could spit it back up._ "

Jaune just stared at him through the mirror. He had a feeling if he turned around, the Ghoul would just move out of his line of sight. He spoke up in a hoarse voice, "So, you actually did it. You killed Cardin and…"

" _Devoured him. Yeah. Along with the rest of his team._ " He then reflexively popped his index finger. It made Jaune shudder slightly. " _They tasted like shit, by the way. Especially, Cardin._ "

"I don't want to hear about it." Jaune said with venom in his voice. He looked back into the sink, "If anyone finds out what _you_ did, it'll be over for me." He was shaking as he was speaking.

" _Calm down. I'm a predator, so I know exactly how to hunt my prey. No one was close enough to hear what happened. Plus I used our Kagune, not Crocea Mors, so they will have no way of knowing it was you._ " Jaune looked up and saw that he was off the doorframe. " _Just enjoy the fact you aren't agonizing over your hunger. No one will miss them and those that do, aren't our problem._ "

Jaune scowled at his apathy and turned to scream at _him_ but when he turned, _he_ was gone again. He looked around but didn't see _him_ anywhere. He sighed and relaxed just the smallest amount. He had no idea why the Ghoul was back. He was sure he locked _him_ away in the recesses of his mind, for good. But either way, he had to make sure _he_ stayed like that, he couldn't just lose control and let _him_ out again. Who knew how many people _he_ would kill if he did. He just shook his head and took a shower to try to clear his thoughts.

Try being the key word. His mind was nowhere close to clear. Just the fact that it happened again sickened him. He swore that after what happened to his family, he would never allow himself to fall to those urges again. But all it took was one push, just one little jab by Cardin and that was it. But the real problem was the one that hadn't truly sunken in yet. He had killed four people. Even if the Ghoul was the one that did it, it was still him that did it. He may not remember what happened right now, but he would. It always happened. The memories from the Ghoul would always drift into him. Usually in the form of nightmares. So, it would only be a matter of time before he would know what had happened and be further tortured by it.

He punched the shower wall, shattering several tiles. He took several deep breaths before he pulled his fist free. He looked to see it was virtually fine, besides a few small cuts on his knuckles but they quickly started to heal. But not from his aura. He sighed, 'I guess that is what _he_ meant by being the best of both. My aura will still protect me but even if something bypasses it, my body will just heal because of my Ghoul biology.'

He flexed his fingers a bit and just stared at his hand. Even if it was only a few hours, the flesh he had eaten was already bringing his body back to what it was. Before, his body felt slow and weak. But now, it felt back to 'normal'. Meaning he was now four times stronger and faster than most people, minimum. He clenched his fist in anger and disgust. 'Only 'bright' side is because of that, I'll have a few months before my body starts deteriorating again. That'll give me some time to figure out what to do next. About how I'll survive. And my future here.' With that last dreary thought and an exhausted sigh, he shut off the shower and went to change into his uniform.

After he was dressed, he made his way to the cafeteria. That's where he expected to find his team, it wasn't uncommon for him to be the last one up and to meet them later. As he was making his way there, he saw several students walking around and whispering about random subjects. He ignored it. It wasn't his business anyways.

When he finally walked into the cafeteria, he quickly found where his team and RWBY were sitting. He silently made his way over to get a cup of coffee and sat down besides his partner. "Morning, guys." Was all he said as he took a sip from his coffee. It was practically the only human thing his body wouldn't reject.

They all returned his greeting before Pyrrha looked at him confused. "Where's your breakfast, Jaune?"

He only shrugged, "Not really hungry. Coffee is really all I need right now."

She just continued to look at him, "That's not really healthy."

"I'll be fine. I know what my body can or can't do."

It looked like she was going to say something else. But she was interrupted when someone jumped on his back, shouting his name. He would've gone face first into the table if it wasn't for the fact that his body was sturdier now. He sat up straighter with a tired sigh, "Yes, Nora, what is it?"

The cheery bomber on his back quickly replied, "What did you do to your hair?!"

That got the other six to stare at the two of them. Jaune raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder to barely see her. "Wait, what's wrong with my hair?"

He then felt her place her hand on the back of his head and gently taking some of it between her two fingers. "A few locks back here are white."

Jaune went rigid and his eyes went wide, "W-what?" he asked weakly.

"Your hair is white back here. Hold on, I'll show you." Nora moved around on his back for a bit before her hand reached around and showed him her scroll. On it was a picture of the back of his head and true to her word, several locks of his hair were stark white.

Jaune was just frozen. He had flashes of the last time his hair was that color. Screams, the sounds of battle, breaking of bones and the ripping of limbs. Then flashes of the cold, dead eyes of all of his victims. His breathing became shallow and he started to sweat slightly, 'No. No. This can't be happening. Not again!' He was practically screaming in his mind.

He was pulled from his breakdown when a hand grabbed his shoulder, "Jaune?" His head whipped to the side to see Pyrrha looking ta him in concern, "What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he was calm again, he opened them and saw everyone a the table looking at him. He put on a tired smile, "Sorry, guys. Just…the white hair brought up some bad memories."

Yang gained a smirk, "Flashbacks to all the times Ice Queen here rejected you." She jabbed her thumb towards Weiss who gave an indignant 'Hey!'

Jaune felt his right eye twitch slightly and a pang go through his heart. 'First thing in the morning and I'm already a joke, huh?' He sighed and closed his eyes as he brought up his mug to his lips. "No. Just some very painful memories." His voice was neutral and cold. They all just stared as he drank his coffee.

He placed his mug back down but kept his eyes closed. He then brought his fist up to rest his chin on as he just tired to relax. Around that time, Nora got off his back and they resumed whatever they were talking about beforehand. He tuned them out and when he thought he'd be okay, _he_ spoke up again. " _What did I tell you, Jaune? You almost have a panic attack and they make a joke outta you. Good friends there, huh?_ "

"Shut it." Jaune mumbled under his breath.

He just heard the Ghoul chuckle, " _You know I'm right. Why else would you just shut down the conversation like that, instead of smiling and shrug it off like usual?_ " Jaune tensed up slightly at that. " _You know it now. I ripped off those rose-tinted glasses you loved to wear and now you see them for what they are._ "

"Shut. Up." Jaune spoke under his breath. "Get back in your cage."

There was a silence and Jaune thought he'd done it. Until _his_ hand was on top of his head, " _Here's a question you need to ask yourself, Jaune. If you wanted me in that cage…_ " He then heard _him_ finish in a whisper, " _Why aren't I in it already?_ "

Jaune opened his eyes and the feeling on top of his head vanished along with the Ghoul. He didn't move after that just stared across and out the window in front of him. His eyes were looking but he wasn't seeing anything. His mind was just going over what he had just heard and how much truth were actually in those words.

Unbeknownst to him, Blake was looking over the top of her book and at him. She had a frown on her face, but thanks to said book, it was hidden. No one else had heard it but she did. Who was Jaune talking to and what exactly was he talking about? She wouldn't normally think about this but she thought she understood enough about Jaune and he never spoke to himself before. At least not like he was having an actual conversation.

Before she could ask him or even think of what to do about what she overheard, an announcement was heard throughout the cafeteria. It was Miss Goodwitch, "Attention students. All students are to gather in the amphitheater in twenty minutes. Repeat, all students to the amphitheater in twenty minutes." All the people in the cafeteria looked at each other and murmuring was starting to come from everywhere. Jaune and his friends quickly finished their meals, or in Jaune's case coffee, and quickly made their way to the amphitheater.

When they arrived they were greeted to seeing Ozpin and the rest of Beacon's professors on the stage with grave looks. Once every student was inside, Ozpin stepped up to the mic and spoke in a tired voice, "Today, students, marks a sad day for us all. This morning, Professor Port found the grizzly discovery of a team of first years on Beacon grounds. Dead."

Hushed whispers went throughout the students besides Jaune, who went rigid and his mind started to panic. Ozpin cleared his throat and all the students turned back to the headmaster. "The team in question was Team CRDL. I know many of you had mixed feelings for those four young men, but that does not change the fact that four lights were snuffed out before their time. We have investigated and have concluded that their assailant could be an unknown Grimm."

That got the attention of every student, including Jaune. "The wounds that they all sustained don't match any weapon we've seen before. And along with the detail that they were eaten after their demises, it would be safe to assume, it was not human."

'Well, he's not wrong.' Jaune thought to himself.

"With that all said, we have decided to cancel classes for the day while we, the professors, search for this Grimm. Any fourth years that wish to help can stay here for assignments. The rest of you, we ask that you stay within the main buildings of Beacon and a curfew will be put in place for after dark. This creature is highly dangerous and we wish to not lose any more students. Any student that is found breaking these new rules will be punished severely."

He let them all soak in his words before he finished, "You all are free to do as you like for the rest of the day. But I would like for all of us to have a moment of silence for those four young men. You may have not liked them but no one deserve the fate they did. So, please." He lowered his head and everyone followed his lead. Although, Jaune was no where close to being calm. When enough time passed, Ozpin raised his head again, "With that, you are all are dismissed. But please, be cautious." With that most students, besides a few teams of fourth years, started to make their way out of the amphitheater.

RWBY and NPR were discussing about what they heard and how was it possible for a Grimm to get on the grounds. Meanwhile, Jaune was quiet, trying to figure out what do next. He couldn't help feeling like he had a noose around his neck. And it was tightening.

* * *

Jaune awoke with a start that night. The memories of what the Ghoul did to CRDL had come to him while he was sleeping. The fact that it was happening wasn't the weird thing, but how quickly it came. When the Ghoul killed his family, it took a week or so for the memories to manifest. These showed up in a day. That didn't help him in the slightest. It worried him more than he could ever say.

He looked over to make sure his teammates were still sleeping. Luckily, they were. He silently got out of bed and decided to change out of his onesie. He threw on some jeans and his hoodie, forgoing a shirt underneath it. He then threw on his sneakers and made his way to the door. He opened it enough to peak out and made sure the coast was clear. That's when he slipped out of his room and started to make his way out of the dorms. He wasn't paying attention or he'd notice RWBY's door opened an amber eye looking out.

Jaune was able to slip by any fourth years that were patrolling the grounds. Since his body was back to what it was supposed to be, his senses were pushed up to that of a Faunus. He saw or heard them before they were any the wiser. He made his way to Beacon's cliffside and just looked out over the Emerald Forest. He took a deep breath of the cool night air and sighed.

That peace he just gained was shattered though, " _So, you gonna do what you've debated a few times before?_ " Jaune glanced to the left and saw the Ghoul standing beside him with that twisted smirk of his. " _You gonna take that one step and stop everything? The ultimate repentance?_ "

Jaune just tried to ignore _him_ but it was hard to do when _he_ existed in his mind. "No. I just needed to clear my head." He said exhaustedly.

The Ghoul started to walk behind him, " _Of what? The nightmares? Or what your friends said about you earlier?_ " As much as he didn't like doing it, the Ghoul brought back up the events of earlier in the day.

* * *

It was a few hours after Ozpin's announcement. JNPR was in their room, trying to distract themselves. Although for Jaune, that was infinitely harder than the rest of his team. That's when RWBY knocked on their door and invited them to go to the training rooms with them, to burn off some steam and frustrations. They all agreed, Jaune a bit lackluster, and made their way there.

They decided to have a small competition and see who could take out the most training bots in ten minutes. Yang, Pyrrha and Nora were easily holding the lead. That was when Jaune stepped in and what happened next shocked both teams. With Jaune's body at optimal condition, he was fighting way better than he had ever before. He was easily clearing out the androids with his increased speed and strength adding to his improved fighting style.

At the end of the ten minutes, he had destroyed as many as Yang, Pyrrha and Nora. That lead to him being congratulated by his team and Ruby, while Weiss, Blake and Yang just stared at him dumbfounded. They all went to return their gear and go back to the dorms. Jaune was the first to leave and as he was, he saw that Yang was fighting more training bots. It confused him until he heard Ruby shout to her, "Yang, come on. I don't understand what the big deal is."

He looked over to see the rest of her team was standing by and they looked concerned. Yang punched another android before speaking, "The big deal is that Vomit Boy tied with me. Pyrrha and Nora, I can understand but him." She growled and punched another android into the wall.

That hurt, if he was going to be honest. But that was when Weiss spoke up, "It is hard to believe that, that dunce actually did that. He had to have done _something_ though."

Again, that hurt to hear. Finally, Blake spoke up, "He has been kind of off today. Something is definitely wrong. We might want to talk to his team and see if they know what's wrong with him."

Jaune sent a small glare their way with that. That's when the voice spoke up, " _Good to know they think so highly of you._ " With that, Jaune shook his head and stormed out of the training rooms. He really didn't care that RWBY was looking his way or not. He even ignored Ruby telling him to wait.

* * *

Jaune shook his head to try and dispel the memories. But the Ghoul wouldn't stop. " _You see what I mean now? They don't care for you, at all. They just put up with you._ "

Jaune wanted to dispute _his_ words so badly, but he couldn't help but see some truth to it. The Ghoul put his arm around Jaune's shoulder and spoke in a low voice, " _Why don't I have a talk with them?_ "

Jaune's eyes widened in shock before they hardened. "You will go nowhere near them."

The Ghoul just rolled his eyes, " _Still protective of them. You are such an idiot. You would risk your life for them but they would cut ties and throw you under the bus to save their skin._ "

Jaune shook his head adamantly, "You're wrong."

 _He_ just smirked at him, _"Am I?_ "

That's when they both picked up on the footsteps behind them They froze and Jaune's heart dropped at the person's voice. "Jaune, what are you doing out here?" Blake said.

Jaune could just feel the Ghoul smirk and he started to lose his grip on his consciousness. He tried to fight back but he couldn't find the strength to do it. Meanwhile, the Ghoul was whispering, " _Get some sleep, Jaune. I'll take care of this problem for you._ "

With the last of his strength, Jaune tried to save his friend, "Blake, you need to go." With that, his head lulled before an unsettling grin made its way to his face.

Blake just raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Jaune, something is wrong with you. I'm not just going to leave you by yourself."

She heard him snort slightly, " _Now she cares._ " That made her raise her other eyebrow but couldn't say anything as he continued. "Y _ou should now better than anyone that some things, some secrets, you don't wanna talk about._ " That made her freeze and she felt her ears stick straight up under her bow. She knew he knew about her heritage, her team had told JNPR, but this was the first time he ever brought it up with that kind of voice. One filled with disappointment and something else. " _You really want to help me, Blake?_ " 'Jaune' asked.

Something seemed wrong with the way he said that but she was here to help him. "That's why I'm here, Jaune. So, what can I do?" As soon as she said that, her instincts were screaming at her. She quickly left a Shadow as a red glowing tendril impaled it through the chest and destroyed it.

She landed on her feet and stared at Jaune, who now had a single red glowing tail coming from his back. He then slowly turned around and what she saw, caused her so much unease. Jaune's face was set in a twisted smirk and his right eye was now black and red, practically glowing in the night. He then said something that rocked her to her core, " _You can die, Belladonna._ "

* * *

 **A/N- Here is the next chapter! I wonder how many expected this to hit the fan so early? Also, how many thought Blake would be the first to become prey for the Ghoul? Anyways, I liked to thank Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh and Jauneforever for being my Betas again. If you haven't checked them out, just do it. Because I'm gonna say/type it every time anyways. On that note, hope you all enjoyed and I will see you in the next chapter!  
**


	3. Shadows Descend on the Beast

Unraveling the Knight

Blake stared dumbstruck by the sight in front of her. Jaune was staring at her with a twisted smirk on his face. His right eye was black and red with an almost crazed light in it. While his left was still blue but was emotionless and cold. But the biggest thing was the red and glowing tail-like appendage that was coming from his back and impaled in the ground where she was a second ago. And finally, in the air around them was the feeling of pure bloodlust.

She finally found her voice as she swallowed, "Jaune, what are you doing? What is that thing?"

The response was a chuckled from the blonde knight. But unlike his usual warm one, it was so cold. Then he answered her in that same distorted voice he spoke in before. " _My, my, the kitty is curious. But you should be careful, remember the old saying…_ "

Blake's instincts screamed for her to move and she did. She jumped back but a second too late. The tail burst from the ground where she was standing and managed to cut the outer part of her exposed left thigh, since she was still wearing her yukata. She landed on her feet a few feet away and looked down at her bleeding leg. Her aura was already patching it up but the question on her mind was: 'How did he get past my aura?'

She looked back at Jaune as he pulled the tail from the ground and retracted it towards him. " _Curiosity killed the cat._ " He then moved the tail to in front of his face and he licked her blood off it. That unsettled her further. People could do that for intimidation but she had a feeling that wasn't his intention. Especially, with what he said next. " _Interesting taste. Don't have many Faunus to compare it to but leagues better than CRDL._ "

Blake couldn't believe what she just heard. That had to be wrong, right? "You…you're saying that you killed them? That you…" she asked in a shaky voice.

His smirk just stretched a bit on his face, " _Guilty._ " Was all he said as he shot off towards her with a speed almost equal to Ruby. He came down with a right fist but she managed to jump to her left in time and see him shatter the ground with the strength behind it. His red eye glanced at her and the tail shot towards her like a snake. She back flipped out of the way and the tail impaled the ground once again.

That's when a second tail sprung from his back and flew at her while she was still recovering. She quickly used her Semblance to leave a double to intercept the attack while she got away. Or so she thought. As she was still jumping back from using her Shadow, she found herself face to face with Jaune. He used his two tails to pull him to her when they were secured into the ground. Before she could react, his left hand was over her face and he threw her off the cliff to his right.

She screamed as she flew through the air over the forest. She looked up when she felt a shadow over her. There was Jaune once again and delivered an open palm strike to her stomach, sending her plummeting to the forest below and knocking the air out of her.

Blake was tumbling head over heel as the ground was nearing her faster and faster. Even with her aura, she'd have little way of coming out unscathed if she impacted the ground. She tried to reorient herself the best she could before using her Semblance again. She fell into her Shadow and pushed off it horizontally. It worked but that horizontal push made her hit a tree branch with her ribs, shattering it but slowing herself down. She managed to grab another tree branch with both her hands to slow herself more but her weight snapped it and she fell into the bushes below. Sore but alive. She laid in the bushes for a few seconds to try and get her breath back and stop her head from spinning. She also needed her ribs to stop throbbing. They were bruise, hopefully not broken.

Once the world wasn't spinning, she stood up and walked out of the bushes. She looked around to regain her bearings but that was when her ears perked up and picked up on sound. It was like someone was breaking wood. She spun around to see that Jaune was using his two tails to hit or grab onto trees to slow himself down. When he was on the last set of tree branches, he wrapped his tails around one and swung himself to the tree right beside her. That's when he flipped upside-down and wrapped his tails around another branch. This gave him the appearance of 'standing' upside-down on the branch and looking down at her, that smirk still on his face.

The two just stared at each other for a minute or so. One in glee while the other was wary. The Ghoul was the one to break the silence, " _I suggest you call your weapon. As much fun as this is, I'd rather if my prey fought back._ "

Blake wasn't sure on what to do right now. She was shaking in fear. The last person to instill this kind of feeling in her was Adam and for good reason. It took a while for those feelings to become apparent but Jaune managed them in just a few short minutes. She wanted to run but Jaune had proven to her that she'd have no chance of getting away from him, unless he wanted her to. She really only had one option.

She reached for her scroll to call for her locker but her eyes stayed glued on Jaune. "Why?" she asked in a shaky voice. He just raised an eyebrow at her. "Why are you doing this?"

He just looked down at her for a bit before he shrugged and let his tails release the branch. He fell towards the ground before he flipped to his feet and landed a foot in front of Blake. She quickly took several steps back as she watched him. His left hand was in his pocket as his tails just swayed closed to the ground. His smirk was gone, replaced by a very neutral look. " _I guess a reason could be, that the few people Jaune cares about treat him like a waste of space._ " He said that as he cracked his index finger which made Blake flinch. " _You are one of the worst because you don't even bother to interact with him. You see him as nothing and have done little to prove that wrong. Sad, considering the one that knows trauma the most, is the one that ignores him most._ "

That confused her. What did he mean by Jaune knowing trauma? And why was he referring to himself in the third-person so suddenly? Before she could ask either question, they were interrupted by her locker slamming into the ground a few feet away from them. Blake finally turned from Jaune to it before looking back to him. He just looked back at her and motioned with his head towards the locker. She slowly started to walk towards it as she kept her eyes on him. His red eye never leaving her as well and that neutral look was still on his face.

She finally reached her locker and she opened it to reveal Gambol Shroud. She took her trusted weapon in her right hand before turning back to the blonde knight. He was still in the same stance as before, only difference was that the tails were now rigid. He was ready to attack at any moment. Were they really going to do this? Throughout her time in the Fang, she had managed to keep her hands clean of blood, both innocent and otherwise. Was she really going to get them dirty now. With her friend's blood no less. "Please, Jaune. We don't have to do this."

The answer he gave was to just crack his middle finger before his left tail shot out towards her. She was able to deflect it with her weapon but that gave him the time to close the distance between them. " _No. But_ _ **I**_ _do._ " He then landed an uppercut to her chin, sending her into the air.

As Blake was flying with a pained gasp, she realized something: 'He's as strong as Yang with her Semblance. How did he get this strong so fast?' She looked back at him to see his right tail coming to knock her further away. She quickly batted it away with her weapon but before she could rest, his other tail was on its way. She managed to dodge it and land on her feet. That's when both his tails tried to flay her in a flurry of slashes. She started to duel wield her weapon to keep up but was slowly losing ground. The barrage eventually stopped when she slashed both the tails away simultaneously. She was sure she had cleaved them but she looked on in shock as they slowly moved closer to Jaune, unharmed.

Jaune took the time to look them over before speaking out loud, " _With all my aura in my Kagune, it has made them as strong as a Hunter's weapon. Maybe more so. Good._ " His neutral mask broke for a split second as that damned smirk came back. " _Time to really get going._ " With those words, he released the other two tendrils of his Kagune, bringing it to its maximum capability.

Blake felt a shiver to go up her spin. 'That was him holding back?!' she shouted in her mind. She quickly got a grip and Jaune used the exact same strategy as before: using his Kagune in a fury of slashes. But now, she had to deal with many more attacks. Blake was using her full maneuverability to dodge them if she couldn't use Gambol Shroud to intercept them. She also had to use her Shadows constantly.

She eventually managed to parry two of his tails before using her Shadow to avoid the next two. She was above his Kagune and had her pistol aimed at him. She then started to fire as quickly as possible. Jaune used his Kagune to start deflecting the bullets. While he was distracted, she used the kusarigama mode and threw it at him. It managed to get past all his tails and slash deeply into his right shoulder, causing his blood to erupt from the wound.

Blake's eyes widened again at the severity of the wound he had just suffered because of her. There was so much blood and his arm was barely connected to the rest of his body. 'Why didn't his aura protect him?!" she shouted in her head. She felt her stomach churn but was interrupted before she could have a chance to vomit.

Jaune grabbed the ribbon connected to her weapon with his left hand and quickly pulled her towards him. He was completely ignoring the wound she had gave him. With her now being pulled towards him, he aligned all four appendages of his Kagune with her so she'd be stabbed through her four limbs. Blake acted in desperation and threw her cleaver at his other arm. It managed to get lodged into his other shoulder; More blood spilt from his body and his arm fell to his side.

She quickly pulled on the ribbon as his Kagune shot at her again. She barely avoided the brunt of the attack but they still nicked the outside of her lower legs, drawing more blood from her. She was now close to Jaune, so she flipped over him. She managed to free both halves of her weapon as she did so. But as soon as her feet touched the ground, his Kagune was already barreling down on her from above. They hit with so much force that they shattered the ground and kicked up a lot of dust.

Luckily, Blake was a good ten feet away from the crater. She managed to use her Shadow at the last second to get away. Blake slowly turned towards Jaune as he pulled his Kagune free and turned to her as well. The entire time his arms were bleeding profusely. Blake swallowed, "Please, Jaune. Let's stop this. You're hurt and I don't want to have to go any further than this. We can stop and go to the infirmary."

Jaune just chuckled, " _I don't need an infirmary._ " As he said that, new tendons and ligaments started to grow from his body and connect to his nearly severed arms. Blake watched on in morbid curiosity as his wounds started closing and not even leaving a mark in their place. Jaune rolled his shoulders to make sure they were healed properly. He then noticed his hoodie sleeves were barely connected to the rest of it. So he reached up and tore them off, leaving his arms bare since he left his sleeves and gloves in his room.

Blake just kept staring at him as her hands shook while holding her weapons, "W-what are you?"

Jaune just reached for his hood and pulled it over his head. With the upper half of his face was in darkness now, his red eye was now glowing more noticeably and ominously. " _A nightmare._ "

He took off at his top speed at her with his right fist coming forward. Blake used the broadside of her cleaver to stop it but she still slid backwards. " _Tell me, have you ever been kidnapped?_ " His two left tendrils responded by whipping out and trying to stab her on her right-side. She shifted her kusarigama into its katana and used it with her cleaver to parry them. By that point, Jaune was above her and coming down with a heel drop. Her eyes widened and she threw herself to the side to avoid the attack.

While Jaune was crouched on the ground, he spun his body and whipped all for of his tails at Blake. " _To be experimented on every day?_ " That stunned her and she took the attack and was slammed into a tree on her left. She was pinned to it by his Kagune as he walked towards her. " _To believe that every day is Hell? To rather die than to wake up the next day to experience it all again?_ "

Blake pointed her gun at him and fired repeatedly. Jaune crossed his arms in front of him to stop the bullets from hitting his head, the shots penetrating his skin but not breaking through them. That lapse in concentration, loosened his Kagune enough for her to slip out of his grasp. As she fell to the ground, his Kagune wrapped around the tree and pulled it, snapping it and bringing it down on top of her. She rolled out of the way but just barely and the ground shook from the tree hitting the ground. Jaune lowered his arms, " _To somehow survive all that and wind up as something no longer human or Faunus?_ "

He vaulted over the downed tree and sent his left tails at her again. She ran towards him, galvanized into trying to stop him from killing her. As she did, she used her katana to divert them and closed the distance and swinging her cleaver at him. He caught it with his right hand and blood started to cover the blade. His eyes stared into her's as he continued, " _To then be tortured every day, just so they could see how much you could take before breaking? To know that you are living in Hell?_ "

Blake just stared at him in shock and sadness. With her distracted, he gripped her cleaver harder before whipping his right tails around his body to impale her. Blake saw this and had no choice but to let go of her cleaver and jumped back. As she did though, Jaune swung his Kagune in the opposite direction. It caught her and sent her tumbling across the ground. He pulled his Kagune behind him to sway back and forth again. He threw her cleaver to the side as he started to walk towards her downed form. " _To finally break and you kill those that caused you so much agony? To only survive by giving into your new instincts and eating their corpses?_ "

The cat Faunus just stared at him, unsure on what to do. Sorrow and fear were both swimming in her heart but neither was overpowering the other. But the sight of him just strolling over to her made her shiver in fear. As much as she didn't want to, she had to end this. She moved into a kneeling position and fired all of her remaining bullets. Jaune pulled the two upper tendrils in front of him to block the shots.

While he was distracted, Blake had jumped over him and tried to cut across his back. Before she made contact, Jaune turned and sent his two lower tendrils to try and bisect her. They met her Shadow and with that, she was within his guard. She slashed him across his chest, from his right hip to his left shoulder, sending blood flying. His eyes widened as he fell backwards and his Kagune retreated back into his body.

Blake slowly relaxed her stance and was breathing deeply. She was trying to calm down from the reality that she just killed her friend. True, they weren't very close but that didn't make this any easier, even if he tried to kill her. Tears slowly gathered in her eyes as her breathing became choppy and her hands shook more.

Her breakdown stopped when he heard him cough up blood. She stared at him in shock as he just looked up into the night sky as his chest was already healing from a would be fatal attack. He slowly started to resume what he was saying. " _I returned to my family after all that. We were all happy. Until they found out what I was._ " He slowly sat up but let his head fall to stare at the ground. " _They feared me and started to distance themselves. Until one night they tried to kill me in my sleep._ " He slumped forward until his hands touched the ground, supporting himself until he was sitting on his knees. " _Instincts took over, and I killed them before eating them, as well._ " He didn't look up as he finished his thoughts. " _That's what I am, Blake. A nightmare that gave birth to a monster._ "

Bake just looked on as he just knelt there. He seemed so fragile. But who could blame him after everything that happened to him. "You're not a monster, Jaune. You're just someone who has suffered more than probably anyone and has no idea on how to fix it." She took a few more steps closer to him and stopped, "But coming back to Beacon with me would be a good start."

He just shook his head and didn't try to look up. " _No one would accept me when they know the truth. Not your team. And not mine._ "

"Our friends are some of the most understanding people out there. They'll at least try. And if not, you'll still have me." She told him in a calming voice.

She saw him go rigid and start shaking. When he spoke, his voice was heavy with emotions, " _Why would you do this for me? I just tried to kill you._ "

Blake just shrugged, "Like you said, I'm the one that understands trauma more than the others. I can understand doing things you aren't proud of and what the guilt will do to you." She reached her left hand out to him. "Come on. Let's go back. Together."

For a while, he didn't move. Then his hand slowly reached for hers. She smiled and knew things were going to be alright.

That was when pain erupted through her body. She was in so much shock, she couldn't even scream. Wide eyed, she slowly looked down to see his Kagune sticking through the left side of her stomach, just above her hip. She started breathing shallowly, trying to figure out what had happened. That's when she was lifted in the air by the Kagune and the pain increased. She screamed before it slammed her into the ground, pinning her there and cutting her off. Gambol Shroud was thrown from her grasp from the impact and it was too far to reach. She couldn't use her Shadow either since she was run completely through. She could feel herself bleeding out and, in a panic, she started to claw at the organic weapon going through her.

She stopped when she heard Jaune start laughing. She looked over to him in shock as he slowly stood up, his laughing never stopping. When he was standing fully, he finally stopped and looked down at her with that same smirk on his face. " _And here I thought Ruby was the naïve one. You've must've read too many storybooks if you thought a few words would be enough to sway me._ "

She was trying to stay calm but her breathing was getting harder to maintain. " _They probably would've worked on Jaune. Hell, they would've meant the world to him. Luckily, I'm not him._ " He then crouched down beside her. His red eye burrowing into hers. " _This isn't personal. You are just one of the few that are causing Jaune to hold me back. So, naturally, you have to go._ "

"W-why?" Blake managed to gasp out as her vision started to go black.

He just tilted his head, " _I'm what makes Jaune strong. But he keeps throwing away every chance I give him to use that strength…because of you seven. He'll get us killed one day. So, I'm making sure that doesn't happen._ " Blake's vision was getting darker and his voice seemed to be getting quieter. " _Just rest now, Blake. Don't worry. Your friends will be joining you soon._ "

* * *

 **A/N- Here it is. Not really much to say, Blake is dead and there are six more on the Ghoul's list. Who will be next? Again, Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh and Jauneforever were the Betas for this chapter. Check them out. Just do it to shut me up, hehe. Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next update!  
**


	4. Yellow Beauty Burns Out

Unraveling the Knight

The Ghoul just stared down at the corpse of his latest victim with that twisted smirk still on his face. Blake's dead eyes just stared up into the night sky as his Kagune still ran her through. He pulled it free as he pulled the other three tails into his body. He moved the last tail in front of his face again and licked her blood off of it. He wasn't lying before when he told her she had an interesting taste. Although it would be hard to explain how flesh tasted different to people so he'd never actually bothered to try to figure out how. All he knew for sure was that her flavor was way better than CRDL, Watts and Tyrian.

When he had tasted enough of her blood, he pulled the last of his Kagune back into his body. He then looked down at the cat Faunus one more time. His eyes trailed down to her bare legs. He had a contemplating look before he started to speak out loud. " _I don't really need to eat. But it would be nice to taste something better than those pieces of shit._ " He stared for a bit before he shrugged, " _Why not? A few bites won't hurt._ "

He crouched down beside her and took a bite from her exposed thigh. As he chewed, her flavor flooded his mouth but much richer than what he got from just her blood. He swallowed before taking a second and third bite. He was about to take his fourth bite, this time from her other leg but his ears picked up a distant sound. He stopped to focused and quickly realize that it sounded like shotguns. He stood up and turned towards the direction of the sound. He narrowed his eyes and could see familiar flashes of red and yellow. He just smirked and waited a few extra seconds to see Yang Xiao Long flying through the air in her pajamas. She was using Ember Celica to propel herself forwards along with kicking off trees towards him. He just smirked at his luck, " _Two in one night? How very convenient._ "

* * *

Yang had woken up around midnight. It was weird because she usually slept like a rock most nights. She sat up and looked around to see that Ruby and Weiss were still asleep. She leant over the side of her bed and saw that Blake was missing. She looked to their en suite bathroom but the door was open and the light was off. That's when she realize that Blake may've gone for a late night walk. She had told them all she did that when she couldn't sleep.

She would've gone back to bed, but with the unknown Grimm running around, it made her worried. She gently hopped off her bed and was about to go out her door but stopped when she saw Ember Celica sitting on her nightstand. After a few seconds, she pulled them over her hands and onto her wrists as a precaution. She then left their dorm room and started looking for her partner.

After several minutes of walking around aimlessly, she realized she had no idea on where to look. That's when she facepalmed. 'I could've just called her.' She thought with a huff. She pulled out her scroll and was about to call her. But she saw that she had an alert and when she selected it, saw that Blake's aura was being lowered.

That made her panic. The only reason for that would be if she was fighting. And there was only one thing she would be fighting. Yang wanted to find her but none of them ever had their GPSs active when they were still at Beacon. That's when she heard a loud racket. She looked up to see a rocket locker flying towards the Emerald Forest. It had to be Blake's, all the fourth-years on patrol had their weapons already on them. Yang took off in a sprint to try to keep up with it.

She reached the cliffs that overlooked the forest and stopped to regain her breath while trying to see where the locker would land, that way she'd have some idea on where Blake would be. She saw it land a good fifty or so yards away from the cliffs. She nodded and took a few steps back as her weapon switched to its active mode. She then ran and jumped off the cliffs while firing off her weapons. She flew a good distance before she fired again. As she neared the trees, she started to kick off them and only firing when she needed the extra speed to conserve some ammo. She soon saw a clearing not much further in front of her and with one last shot from her guns, broke into the clearing.

Yang quickly took in the sight before her. She noticed someone standing in front of her partner but as her eyes settled on Blake, they widened exponentially. Seeing her partner just staring up and not moving made her snapped. Her eyes narrowed and they turned crimson. She then yelled at the top of her lungs as she flew towards the one responsible. As she was about to make contact, he jumped back and cleared a good twelve feet backwards. She landed fist first and shattered the ground below her with ease.

She quickly crouched next to Blake and looked her over. She had a massive hole near her stomach and she had what look like chunks bitten out of her legs. Not to mention all the blood that was under her body. She slowly reached her shaky hand to her neck and gently placed her fingers there to feel her pulse. She waited for what felt like an eternity before she had to accept the reality. She had no pulse. Blake Belladonna was dead.

Tears started to pour from her eyes as she started to shake. She then reached her hand up to gently close her partners eyes. She then pulled her close and held her tight as she shook like crazy. "I'm sorry, Blake. I'm so sorry!" That's when she gave out a heartbreaking wail as she cradled her body closure.

After an unknown amount of time, she slowly pulled her head away from her partner and turned to the one responsible with blood red eyes. She gently settled Blake on the ground before she stood and turned to him, taking in his appearance. He was wearing sneakers, jeans and a hoodie. The hoodie looked like the sleeves were torn off and there was a massive cut across the front, revealing some of his toned body. He was in a relaxed stance with his hands in his pockets. His hood was up, hiding the top half of his face. But what stood out was the black and red glowing right eye and that smirk on his face. It was so unsettling, especially with the blood around his mouth and chin. This was no Grimm. It had to be a human or Faunus. Her fists tightened and she spoke in a deathly tone, "You did this."

He just tilted his head and brought his left hand to his mouth to wipe away the blood. " _Brilliant deduction, Sherlock._ " He answered in a distorted voice that sounded somewhat familiar to her. That's when he made a show of licking the blood off his fingers.

She just grit her teeth, "I'm going to kill you." Her voice filled with venom and finality.

He pulled his left hand away and started to chuckle. When he was done he popped his left index finger. " _You can try, Xiao Long._ " He challenged as he released all four tails of his Kagune. He wasn't going to pull his punches with a murderous Yang.

That caused her to pause. She knew that wasn't a normal weapon but could it be a Semblance? She shook those thoughts away and was about to charge him when growling started to fill the air. She glanced around to see half a dozen Beowolves enter their clearing. 'Great. Now I have to deal with them and this guy.' She thought angrily.

Right as she thought that, he looked around. " _Hmmm. With my bloodlust, Blake's fear and your anger, I would've thought more would come._ " He shrugged, " _Oh well, this will be easy to deal with._ " With that, his lower tails shot backwards and impaled the two Grimm through their heads. While the two upper ones swung to the right and left, decapitating the ones closer to Yang and bisecting the ones between them. With that done, they moved back to swaying slowly behind him.

Yang, in her right mind, probably would've reconsidered fighting him after that. But she was no where close to being in her right mind, anger and guilt were swirling throughout her mind. So, with a shout and a burst from her weapons, she shot towards him. His smirk just grew as he slammed his tails on the ground behind him, sending him flying towards her. She went for a right hook but he caught her forearm with his left hand before it could reach him. He was about to give her his own right hook but she fired her weapon while he was holding her, catching him in the face and sending him flying towards the her left.

He corrected himself and stuck all four of his tails into the ground, stopping him before he used them to fling himself at her again. She charged him again, so he flipped for an axe kick. She crossed her arms to block it but the force behind his attack cracked the ground below her. 'He's strong.' Was all she thought before she grabbed his leg in a death grip, she could hear his ankle crack from her grip. "I'm not letting you go now, you bastard!"

In response, he just spun his body, his capture leg twisting and breaking it severally. She was shocked but was sent flying from the roundhouse kick he delivered from the spin. She smashed through a tree as he landed on his feet. She stood up and was shocked to see his leg just spin rapidly in the other direction, before setting back in its original orientation and healed. He just smirked and popped his left middle finger, " _After everything I've been through, that was nothing to me._ "

He charged her at his top speed, enough to shatter the ground beneath him and send the debris flying. As he was flying through the air, he wrapped his Kagune around his body and had the tips connect together above his head. He then spun rapidly, turning himself into a glowing red drill towards her. Not willing to tank that, Yang used Ember Celica to launch herself from it. She turned to see him shred through the ground and trees around where she just was. After ten feet or so, the tails unfurled and he extended them and his arms outwards to catch a drag on the wind to slow himself down.

Before he could do anything, she send a series of shots at his back. Two caught his upper back before his tails started to whip them away with little issue. He looked over his shoulder with that twisted smirk before he charged her, running instead of clearing the distance between them. She kept firing but his tails never stopped knocking them away. When she was sure he was close enough, she charged forwards again with her patented right. It would've met his face or chest. But his upper tails looped over his shoulders and crossed to stop it. That's when his other two tails smashed into her stomach and sent her flying again.

As soon as she hit the ground, he jumped into the air again. As he was coming down on her, he coiled his right tails together to make them stronger. He then swung them at her. He was shocked when she stood and stopped them with her left hand. He raised an eyebrow as she looked up at him with shining hair and red eyes. By that point, he was low enough for her to deal a devastating combo to his stomach and chest. His hoodie was actually catching fire from her blows. With her mouth set in a snarl and her eyes holding nothing but bloodlust, she pulled her right fist back and punch him as hard as she could in his chest. For extra insurance, she fired a shot from Ember Celica at point blank range. She heard the distinct sound of bones breaking as he flew away and through several tree. His tails disappeared as the trees fell onto him.

She rested her hands on her knees as she started to pant. She was trying to calm herself down. "Well…I did it. I killed him.' She thought to herself. But now, with the adrenaline and volatile emotions leaving her, that didn't sit with her as well as she thought it would. She slowly looked over to Blake and a question formed, 'Would she have wanted me to do that?'

She was pulled from those thoughts as she noticed the trees in her peripherals, start to move. She looked over in shock as the one on top was pushed into a vertical position by the guy she was sure she killed. He just stood there and pushed it over in the other direction. He then slowly walked over the lumber in front of him until he was back on the ground. He seemed fine besides his left elbow popped in the opposite direction and his hoodie had burns all over it, a particular nasty one where her last punch was. She just stared in shock, "How are you alive?"

He just popped his neck and looked to the ground to spit up a lot of blood. " _Because you didn't destroy me heart or brain._ " When he stood up straight, the hood fell off his head and her eyes nearly popped out of her head from the familiar blonde hair and blue eye.

Her mouth opened but no words came out. Her mind was just too jumbled to even think right now. "Jaune?" she asked just above a whisper.

He just smirked, " _Close but no._ " He brought his right hand up to his head and tapped the side of it with his knuckles. " _Let's just say, he's not the only occupant up here._ "

"W-what?" was all she could reply with.

His smirk turned more malicious, " _It seems after all the times you teased him and made him the butt of your jokes, you still don't know a damn thing about Jaune Arc, huh?_ " His left elbow finally popped back into place and he started to flex his left hand and fingers. " _Long story short, Jauney has been through utter hell and has no family left in this world. But even with all that, he tries to just smile and take it all in stride. All that trauma broke a piece of him and created me though._ "

" _I do the things that fool can't stomach, so he can survive. And I'm sick of him throwing away all those chances I give him for you seven._ " He chuckled, " _My mistake. Six now._ "

That caught her off guard, "Us? What do you mean by that?"

He just stared at her for a few seconds before he looked up and laughed like a crazed maniac. He looked back at her with that smirk, " _True, you wouldn't get it. I mean why would you ever think about pathetic, weak, stupid, little Vomit Boy. If he isn't making a fool of himself, why should you?_ "

She narrowed her eyes at him, "That's not-"

" _True?_ " He finished for her. " _Oh but it is. You know nothing about him. If you did, you'd at least know his opinion on you, right?_ " He held his right hand out to her, " _Well, come on. What is it then?_ "

Yang just stared at him for a while before she looked away in shame. " _Case and point. But I see no point in not telling you._ " He slowly started to pace but made sure his red eye was always on her. " _He sees you as the closest of his friends to be a real Huntress._ " She looked up at him in shock. " _You have strength, compassion and the confidence to get you through anything. If he even had a portion of everything you had, maybe he'd be able to make his dreams come to fruition. Honestly, that admiration may've led to him actually falling for you. But he's at least smart enough to know just how far out of his league you are._ "

That shocked Yang. Out of all of them, Pyrrha included, he thought _she_ was closest to be a true Huntress. The person she made a joke of most had that kind of opinion of her. 'Well, can't say I don't feel like an ass now.'

His smirk turned vicious next, " _Now, just imagine what'll happen when he wakes up tomorrow and finds that two people he respected most and cared for, have died. And by his hands no less._ "

She instinctively took a step back, "That would-" her eyes widened, "Why would you do that to him? I thought you wanted to protect him?"

He snorted, _"Honestly, you don't need to know. All you do need to know: Is that you will either have to kill me, along with Jaune. I already told you how._ " He reached up and ripped the remains of his hoodie off and threw it to the side, revealing his toned upper body. That's when his Kagune erupted from his body. His upper-right tail went over his right shoulder across his chest and around the left side of his waist. It went back up to his shoulder before wrapping around his right arm down to his hand. The tip of the tail split into fire to cover each finger to end in claws. His upper-left tail did the same with left shoulder, right side of his waist and left arm. Meanwhile, his lower tails crossed over his waist and stomach before wrapping around their respective legs. He then popped his left ring finger. " _Or you will die here._ "

Yang reluctantly started to get into her boxing stance. But how was she supposed to fight him when her mind and heart were being twisted in so many directions. The two charged at each other and started to trade blows with each other. Although, Yang was subconsciously holding back. Her shots and punches just kept hitting his impromptu-Kagune armor. And luckily for her, she was blocking his claws with her weapons but his kicks kept getting past her guard.

After another of said kicks, she was pushed backwards. When she skidded to a stop, she tried to regain her breath as she reeled from her aura shattering. She caught something in the corner of her eye and saw that she was now next to Blake again. Tears started to gather in her eyes again. She turned back to 'Jaune' when he started to chuckle. " _Don't worry. You'll be with her soon._ " His smirk took on a vicious edge once again. " _And soon, your sister will as well._ "

That was just the push needed to send her over the edge. Her eyes turned red and her Semblance activated again. She flew towards 'Jaune' with a scream. He just smirked and charged her as well. He waited for the right time and weaved out of the way, delivering two slashes to her as he passed. Both skidded to a stop with their backs to each other.

Yang stood there with her arm extended and breathing raggedly. The adrenaline was dulling it but she could feel pain coming from her arm. She looked and her eyes widened. Her right arm, from the elbow down was missing. She didn't want to believe it but the blood falling from it was proof enough. She quickly grabbed the remains of her arm as she screamed in a mix of anguish and pain.

The Ghoul chuckled as he turned back to her, " _Missing this?_ " She turned to him and saw him holding her severed arm in his left hand. He then activated the switch that turned Ember Celica into its compact form. He then brought it to his mouth and took a bite out of it, like you would a drumstick. Her blood went cold at that and she wanted to vomit. When he swallowed he spoke again. " _Mmm. You've probably already heard this from other guys, but you taste amazing._ "

She took a step forward but felt a lot of warmth starting from her stomach and going down her legs. She looked down in horror and saw a deep cut across her exposed stomach and a lot of blood leaving her body. Her legs started to shake before they crumpled underneath her. She looked back at 'Jaune'. He apparently had finished with her arm because he tossed it to the side as his Kagune started to retreat back into his body. " _Well, this will be it. Thank you for the bite and entertainment. You'll be seeing your Partner soon._ " His hand gently cupped his chin, " _But I wonder just_ _ **Xiao Long**_ _until the others do too._ "

Those words and him standing there with that horrible smirk, were the last things Yang heard and saw. Her world went dark and she fell forwards into the puddle of her own blood.

* * *

The Ghoul just stood there for a few seconds. He was hearing the sounds of people running towards them. He smirked, " _Must be the Professors and the fourth years._ "

He made his way over to his hoodie. He ripped off a segment of it and wrapped it around his head, only letting his right eye to be shown. He then took one of Yang's fire dust bullets and set the rest of his hoodie on fire. " _No evidence._ "

That was when Port and a team of fourth-years broke into the clearing. They quickly saw the two students then the masked person. Port aimed his gun at him, "Don't move!" he shouted.

The Ghoul just stared at him with his glowing eye before he jumped towards the trees. Port fired and he managed to swing from a branch to avoid it. He kept jumping from branch to branch as the other students fired as well.

After a few minutes of him running, he managed to lose his pursuers. He climbed to the top of the tree he was in and stared up at the fracture moon. He then started to chuckle then laugh.

* * *

 **A/N- And here it is! I'm kinda shocked on how quickly I put this one out. Again, Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh and Jauneforever were the Betas for this chapter. And, again, check them out. I hoped you all are enjoying this chapter and the rest of the story. I'll see ya all in the next update!  
**


	5. Grief

Unraveling the Knight

Jaune was asleep in his bed. He had a troubled expression on his face and he was muttering to himself. His body would twitch on occasions. It was clear that he was having a nightmare. A bad one. He was seeing himself killing Blake and then Yang. He was merciless. Not caring who these two were or what they meant to him. It was terrible.

Luckily, he was saved from experiencing the horrors any further, as someone was shaking him by the shoulder. Jaune sat up instantly with a gasp. His eyes were wide and he was just staring across the room to the far wall. His breathing was ragged as he was just processing what he had been seeing. 'That didn't happen.' He thought. He prayed. 'Blake and Yang are fine. They have to be.'

He was brought back to reality when he felt a hand gently grip his shoulder. He turned his head and looked into the concerned but calming emerald eyes of his partner. "Jaune, are you okay?" Pyrrha asked.

He took one more deep breath and closed his eyes. When he was calm, he opened them again to look at her. "Yeah. Just a nightmare. Thank you for waking me." He tried his best to give her a grateful smile but it came out rather weakly.

Pyrrha gave him just a small smile and had a very conflicted look in her eyes. "You're welcome. But, that wasn't the only reason I woke you up."

He raised an eyebrow in confusion before he realized they weren't alone. He turned to the other side of the room and saw Nora and Ren on the latter's bed. Ren was sitting on it while Nora was behind him, hugging him close with her arms and legs. They both had very grim looks on their faces. He turned from them back to his partner. "What's going on?" he asked but was terrified of the answer.

Pyrrha looked away from him, finding herself unable to keep meeting his gaze. "We got a call from Weiss. Something happened last night." She said weakly.

Jaune's eyes widened slightly. 'No.' he thought.

"I guess…Blake and Yang broke curfew last night…"

'No. Please, no.' Jaune's hands were starting to shake from the tension.

Pyrrha's voice was breaking at that point, "They ran into the Grimm. They're gone."

Jaune's eyes started to water. 'Damn it. Damn it!' he repeated in his head as he looked down. A tear almost fell from his eye before a thought occurred to him. Or more precisely, someone came to his mind. Ruby.

With that, he threw the blankets off of himself and jumped out of bed, startling Pyrrha. He ran over to his dresser. He was still shirtless from last night and he knew his hoodie was gone. He grabbed a tight, long sleeve shirt and pulled it over his head. He quickly threw off his pajama bottoms and pulled on a pair of his jeans that were on the floor. He was quickly putting on his shoes when he asked, "Where is Ruby?"

The rest of his team was just staring in shock before Pyrrha shook herself from it. "In the infirmary with Weiss-" before she could finish, Jaune ran to the door and opened with enough force to nearly tear it off the hinges. He ran down the hall as quickly as he could. He needed to get to Ruby. He ran pass many students and nearly knock a few to the ground in the process. He could hear his team yelling for him to slow down. But he didn't. He couldn't.

He finally got to the infirmary and went in. His enhanced hearing quickly picked up the sounds of someone crying. He made his way over to one of the rooms and when he went in, he froze at what he saw. There were two beds next to each other with sheets over them, hiding who was in them. But he knew who they were. He noticed Weiss was standing near one of the beds. She had her hand over her mouth and her eyes were just staring. But what really drew his attention was Ruby. She was on her knees at the foot of both beds. He hands were covering her face and she was openly crying.

No one would be surprised by that. It wasn't just the fact that as team leader, she felt like she failed her team. It wasn't just the fact that she lost one of her closest friends. And it even wasn't the fact that she lost her only sister. It was all of that combined with the reality that she had lost more people she cared deeply about.

And it was because of him.

He slowly started to make his way over to the young reaper. "Ruby." He said, just over a whisper. That got the remaining two members of RWBY to turn to him. They were both shocked, not expecting to see him here. Ruby more so when he dropped to his knees in front of her and pulled her into a tight hug. He held her close and started shaking. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He uttered brokenly.

She looked up at him and saw he was barely holding back tears. Ruby started to tear up more. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his shoulder. "It's okay, Jaune. You didn't do this."

That made his heart just crumble more and that's when he had a silent breakdown. Tears started to pour down his cheeks but not a sound escaped his lips. He didn't deserve to be here, to comfort her. But he had to. He was the only one that could right now. So, that's what he did. He held her close and let her cry in his embrace.

Eventually, the rest of JNPR arrived. As soon as they saw the two leaders, they fully realized why he took off like he did. They stood close by, in case they needed them. But for now. Ruby needed this and by the looks of it, so did Jaune.

They spent an unknown amount of time like that. Ruby exhausted herself and fell asleep holding onto Jaune. He silently wiped away his and her tears before he stood up with her in his arms in a bridal carry. He looked over to his team. "I'm going to bring her back to her room to rest." He said in a weak voice. They just nodded, not sure on what to say. He looked at Weiss. "Would you mind coming along. I won't be able to get into your dorm otherwise." She just looked up to him, still in shock, before she nodded.

With that, he nodded once in silence before walking out with the Heiress a few steps behind him. The two walked in silence as they made their way to RWBY's dorm. Or RW's dorm now. Neither spoke so to not to disturb Ruby. And neither knew what to say anyway. After a few minutes, they arrived and Weiss took out her scroll to unlock the door. She walked in and held it open so he could walk in before closing it behind them.

His eyes landed on the set of homemade bunk beds and he grew sad. They'd never be used by their previous owners again. He shook his head a bit and moved over to the other set of beds. He looked up at Ruby's bunk, wondering how exactly he was going to do this.

"My bed." He heard a near silent voice. He looked over to Weiss, who was looking over at him. She cleared her throat and spoke just a tiny bit louder. "You can put her in my bed."

Jaune nodded before he gently laid the young girl in her partner's bed. He withdrew his arms and just looked at her. She was quietly snoring and looked to be sleeping comfortably. He gently moved a lock of hair behind her ear and gently cupper her cheek. She leant into it a bit with a quite hum. He just looked at her. "I'm sorry." He whispered to her with his voice just filled with guilt and regret.

He took his hand away and started to make his way to the door. He stopped to stand near Weiss and looked at her. "She should sleep soundly for a while. If she starts having a nightmare, try to wake her. Okay?" Weiss nodded in agreeance. He turned towards the door. "If you need a hand. Just call me."

He was reaching for the doorknob when he felt a shaky hand grab his upper arm. He looked over and saw that it was Weiss. She was looking to the side, trying to not make eye contact. "Thank you."

Jaune just looked at her. Her body language just spoke to him, telling him how much turmoil she was actually in. He made the decision without thinking. He turned to her completely and pulled her into a hug. His arms were loose, so she could pull away if she wanted. He felt her go rigid in his arm before she relaxed and returned the light hug. With that, he held her just a bit closer. "Let it go, Weiss. You holding it in isn't going to help anyone."

With those words, Weiss did just that. She started to cry silently but her body started shaking. She held him a bit tighter as she did. He in turn, just gently rubbed her back as he held her. She had cared deeply for Blake and Yang. They may not have been very close but they accepted her and cared for her. And she reciprocated those feelings. To have them just gone from her life, it hurt. It hurt so damn much. She just needed some comfort right now, even if it came from Jaune Arc of all people.

A few minutes later, she finally stopped crying and felt drained. She still held onto him as he gently stroked her back. He just felt so warm and comforting. Eventually, she had to begrudgingly pull away. She looked up at him, "Thank you." She said quietly.

Jaune just nodded before he reached over to the desk next to them and handed her a tissue. She took it and used it to dry her tears and their residue still on her face. She finally pulled away from him completely to throw it away. When she turned back, he had already opened the door and was leaving. He stopped but didn't turn around to look at her. "If you or Ruby need anything, don't hesitate to ask me or my team for help." He closed the door instead of waiting for her response.

Jaune immediately went into his dorm. He was glad that no one from his team was there. He walked into the bathroom and locked the door before he walked over to the sink. He quickly splashed some water on his face before he released an angry sigh. "Why did you do it?" his voice held pure fury in it.

He heard a chuckle and looked up into the mirror. There, he didn't see his reflection, but the Ghoul looking back at him through the mirror. He had that same damned smirk on his face. " _Do what?_ " _he_ asked sarcastically.

"Why did you kill them!?" Jaune shouted, not wanting to play his games.

The Ghoul just gave him an even stare, " _To survive._ "

"CRDL I can understand, as much as it sickens me. But Yang and Blake? What did they do? They did nothing to me." He argued back.

" _Exactly._ " The Ghoul started. " _They've done nothing to or for you. Except, just use you and take you for granted._ " His smirk widened. " _And we know what happens when poor little Jauney has too much negativity, don't we?_ "

"Enough games!" Jaune shouted again. His aura shifting to the surface with his emotions. "What is it that you want?"

The Ghoul became so serious, it sent a chill down his spine. " _Survival, that is what_ _ **I**_ _want. I'm sick of you trying to be human when you can_ _ **never**_ _go back. Those seven are the ones that you are giving up everything for._ _ **You**_ _are gonna get_ _ **us**_ _killed._ " That's when _his_ face shifted to rage. " _And for what?! Them?! All because of some damned 'friendship'_." _He_ scoffed and grew serious again. " _They are a problem. A cancer. So, I'm gonna remove it. To_ _ **survive**_ _._ "

Jaune was shocked by that. The sheer fury the Ghoul held was something he had never seen before. And it was all directed at his friends. His eyes gained a steely determination. "I will stop you."

What happened next was one of the most shocking thing he had seen in his life. _He_ reached forward through the mirror and grabbed Jaune by his throat. He was pushed back as the Ghoul came more and more out of the mirror until they was standing in the bathroom together. _He_ lifted Jaune off his feet and pinned him to the wall by his throat. Jaune clawed at the hand holding him to no avail. The Ghoul just looked up at him with that twisted smirk on his face again. " _No. You won't._ "

" _I'm too strong to be held down by you now. The cage you pushed me into cannot hold me. You were the one to give me control in the first place. You let me out to take care of CRDL. The first time that wasn't for survival. And from that, I've figured on how to take control from you whenever I like._ " The smirk stretched in a full smile. " _So, I'm going to do what I've had planned since you came here. Kill the ones holding you, holding_ _ **me**_ _back._ "

That's when _he_ tossed Jaune to the ground. He managed to get back on his knees and stare up at the Ghoul as he tried to regain his breath. _He_ just smirked down at him with that same smirk, _"Only thing you could possibly do to stop me is to kill us. But you can't because you're too afraid to. Otherwise, you would've done so after the death of your family. So, enjoy the little time you'll have with them, Jaune._ "

Jaune didn't know what to say. Not to that. Before he could even find his voice, a knock came from the door and he turned to it. "Jaune?" Pyrrha's voice asked. "Are you okay in there?"

He turned back to the Ghoul but _he_ was gone, again. Jaune gently rubbed his throat as he thought, 'Was that real or was it just in my head?' Jaune slowly stood up and walked to the door. "Yeah. I'm fine, Pyr." He lied.

* * *

It was around midnight that night when Jaune looked over the beds of his teammates. The somber day never got better. Weiss and Ruby came down to the cafeteria with JNPR after they told them they needed to eat. They barely got anything down and Ruby decided to sit next to Jaune. She just leant into him and hugged his left arm with her own. No one said anything and Jaune didn't stop her. What right did he have to deny her?

After that, they all decided to call it a night and they all went into the respective dorms. Most of JNPR fell into a restless sleep until they were woken an hour or two later. Jaune got up and opened the door to see Ruby and Weiss standing there in their pajamas. He just looked them over, "Trouble sleeping?" Weiss looked off to the side as Ruby nodded slowly. He then just stepped to the side. "Come on in."

The two looked at each other before they walked in. Jaune closed the door and slowly ushered them to his bed. "You two take my bed. I'll take the floor." He walked away to grab another pillow for himself and Weiss along with a spare blanket. He tossed the pillow to Weiss before he made himself comfortable on the floor. He had his back to them all but could feel all five of there gazes. "I have experience with losing people." Was all he had said and they didn't respond.

He then listened to his team, Ruby and Weiss settling down. He listened to their breathing and when he was sure they were all sleeping, he stood back up. He quietly went to the bathroom and changed back into the clothes from the day. He then walked out and took a small knapsack with a few supplies he set up through the day. He placed his scroll on his desk and went to the door.

He looked them all over one last time before he left. He closed the door silently behind him. He placed his hand on the door and lowered his head. "Goodbye." Was all he said as he turned from the door and made his way out of the dorms and then out of Beacon.

* * *

 **A/N- Shorter chapter this time around but that's the way i felt it had to be. Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh and Jauneforever for being my Betas. Check them out already. That's all I got for this one, so I'll see ya all in the next update!  
**


	6. Boop, You're It

Unraveling the Knight

Ruby's eyes slowly opened as the early morning light shined through the window near the bed she was in. It took only a few seconds to remember everything that happened the day before. Blake and Yang were gone. That fact still hurt. It was like a hole was in her heart and her life. It wasn't the first time she experienced this kind of pain but that didn't make it hurt any less.

Tears started to form in her eyes so she buried her face into the blankets around her. When she did that, she breathed in the scent lingering in the sheets. A smell she knew and it calmed her. It was Jaune's scent.

Jaune, her best friend. Her first friend at Beacon. Many people would look down on him but yesterday showed off all of his good points. As soon as he found out what happened, he found her. He comforted her. He held her close and became her shoulder to cry on. She didn't even remember when she fell asleep, only waking up in Weiss' bed. Weiss told he that he carried her there and that made her just the tiniest bit happy with her current mind set. The whole day he made sure her and Weiss were okay, all the way up until they went to bed.

Although, she found no peace in sleep. She just had nightmares involving Yang and Blake. Even her mother started to appear in her dreams as the night went on. That's when she woke up and started crying. She just felt so alone. She felt like a complete failure, as a team leader and as a sister.

Before she could drown in her depression, she felt someone jump into her bed and lay a hand on her shoulder. She saw it was Weiss, who looked just as exhausted as she did. Ruby eventually dried her tears and the two had a silent conversation. With a small and maybe bashful nod from Weiss, the two made their way across the hall to JNPR's door. After they knocked, Jaune was the one to open the door. He asked a single question before letting them in and giving them his bed.

She felt terrible about that but the warmth of his bed and the scent on the sheets quickly lulled her exhausted mind and body to sleep. And unlike before, she was at peace. She didn't dream, just slept and was given a brief reprieve from her pain. Even now, she just basked in the warmth and comfort of Jaune's bed. It was like Jaune was holding her again. She had a small blush when she though that she'd really like him to hold her again.

She slowly turned around in the bed to face the rest of the room. The first thing she saw was Weiss asleep next to her. She apparently fell asleep facing her leader, possibly wanting to keep an eye on her. That made Ruby smile the tiniest amount. She looked over her partner to see that Pyrrha was still asleep in her bed. Past her, she notice that Nora had moved from her own bed to sleeping in Ren's. She was holding onto him like a kid would a teddy bear. She finally looked over to where Jaune had laid down for the night, only to see the pillow and blanket with no Jaune.

That confused her. She looked around the room. He wasn't at any of the desks and the bathroom door was open so he wasn't in there. 'Where is he?' she asked herself.

It was around that time that Ruby heard a yawn. She turned back to Pyrrha to see the champion sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She slowly turned to Ruby and gave her a comforting smile, "Good morning, Ruby. Did you sleep well?"

The reaper nodded, "Yeah. I slept like a rock. I was just wondering where Jaune was."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow before turning to the spot on the floor where he decided to bed for the night. "That is strange. Jaune's usually the last one up out of all of us."

"Think he went down to the cafeteria to get us all breakfast?" Ruby asked.

"Breakfast!" Nora shouted, waking up both Ren and Weiss. Ren sighed at his partner's antics while Weiss grumbled about loud noises.

Pyrrha shook her head. "I don't think so. Yes, Jaune would do something like that but he couldn't carry breakfast for six people, by himself, back here."

"What are you two talking about?" Weiss asked as she finally sat herself up.

Ruby turned to her partner, "We're not sure where Jaune is."

Weiss just looked at her and sighed, "Why don't you just call him?"

The two redheads looked at each other before both looked away, "Well, we did just get up." Ruby replied, embarrassed.

"I'll do it!" Nora said as she grabbed her scroll. A few seconds later they heard a scroll going off. They turned to Jaune's desk and saw his scroll.

Pyrrha got out of her bed and walked over to it. She picked it up and ended the call. "Well, wherever he is, he left his scroll. Strange. Considering what's going on with that Grimm, I was sure he'd keep it on him." The champion was starting to get concerned about her missing partner now.

Ren got out of his bed, much to Nora's annoyance and walked over to where Jaune usually kept his things. He looked around for a bit, "His knapsack is missing, along with some of his things."

Nora started to look just as worried as the rest of her team, "You don't think he left, do you?" She looked at everyone but no one had an answer. "But why would he do that?"

The three teammates looked between each other, holding a silent conversation. Pyrrha then looked down at Jaune's scroll in her hands. She bit her bottom lip as she contemplated what she was going to do next. Even if she was worried about his safety, going through his scroll would be a violation of his privacy. She took a deep breath before deciding that she'd rather him feel betrayed and angry over possibly dead. That's when she started to go through his scroll for any potential clues.

She really didn't find anything that stuck out. That was until she found a map of the Emerald Forest and she paused, "Why does he have this?"

"Why does he have what?" Ruby asked as she appeared next to Pyrrha with her Semblance.

Pyrrha turned to her, "He has a detailed map of the Emerald Forest on his scroll." She looked back to the scroll. "Apparently, he only looked it up a few hours ago." She froze at the insinuation.

Ruby's eyes went wide, "You don't think he went out there in the middle of the night, do you?"

Everyone in the room didn't want to believe it but with all the evidence, that was the only conclusion they could come to. Ruby meanwhile was shaking. Yang and Blake had died out there and now she finds out that Jaune is out there too. Was this really going to happen? Was she going to lose someone else she cared for? Another friend. Someone she loved. Her eyes hardened as she quickly made her way to the door. "Ruby, what are you doing?" Weiss asked her.

She stopped to turn back to her partner and the three members of JNPR. Her eyes were filled with nothing but determination. "I'm going to find Jaune. I'm not going to lose anyone else." The four looked at each other and soon gained the same hard determination as they nodded back to the young leader. Ruby left to go back to her room with Weiss to change, while the remaining members of JNPR did the same in their room, Ren going into the bathroom of course. They were going to find their wayward friend and bring him back.

* * *

It was around midday and Jaune was sitting down at the base of one of the thousands of trees in the Emerald Forest. He was currently several miles away from Beacon; having used his increased speed and agility to move easily through the trees since he entered the forest. He had sat down to rest and get a bit of sleep before continuing on.

After leaving Beacon, he snuck into the Forest as a way to get away from Beacon. He did some research and found a small airfield several miles from the edge of the forest. He'd make his way there, using the forest as cover. He would then use what Lien he had left to get a ride to Vacuo. He figured that would be the ideal Kingdom right now. What better place for someone like him to go? He'd be far enough away that no one would know him and his friends would be safe.

Maybe Ozpin would even make them one five-person team. That would seem like the best. Ruby and Weiss would get a new powerhouse and ninja in the form of Nora and Ren. Along with having the extremely skilled fighter like Pyrrha. Meanwhile, his old team would get a better leader along with the skilled and intelligent fighter known as Weiss. They would all help the others heal from the deaths of Yang and Blake. And they would all eventually forget about him. Jaune Arc, the mistake of Beacon. They would be the best team possible, better than anything he could've done.

As Jaune was sleeping, he was beginning to relive the memories of the Ghoul again. He was witnessing the deaths of CRDL, Blake and Yang. And, even if he couldn't prove it, he felt that the Ghoul was also making him experience the death of his family and the hell that Watts and Tyrian put him through. All of these were manifesting as constant nightmares.

A young Beowolf started to stalk over to him after sensing the intense negative emotions coming from the young knight. It sniffed the air, not smelling any other humans. Saliva dripped from its maw as it lunged towards its easy and unsuspecting prey.

Too bad for it that Jaune wasn't prey. Not anymore that was. His hearing easily picked up its breathing and quiet growls. His body instantly reacted when it heard it tear the ground and grass with its claws as it jumped. His eyes snapped open as he was already shifting into a crouch. His eyes locked onto the Grimm as he pushed off the ground, his right hand shooting forward. His hand wrapped around its throat, stopping it from sinking its teeth into him. In response, the beast tried to use its right claws to attack. Jaune's left hand shot up to catch its forearm, stopping it. That was when Jaune whipped his hand to the side, breaking its neck with ease. He dropped the body with that and it started to evaporate. Jaune just gave a tired sigh, "So much for sleeping."

Jaune turned back to his knapsack. He heard a chuckle as he was reaching for it. " _Come on, Jaune. Go back to sleep. What harm would it do?_ "

Jaune ignored _him_. He threw his knapsack over his shoulder and pulled a compass from his pocket to double check which direction he was supposed to head in. He pocketed it once again and started to walk away. Although, he knew the Ghoul wouldn't just give up with that. He could hear him walking just to his left. " _What? Ignoring me now? That's not nearly as fun._ "

"Just shut up." Jaune said in a monotone voice. "You're just trying to get a rise out of me because I'm ruining your plans."

" _Oh, really?_ " the Ghoul asked and Jaune just knew he had that damned twisted smirk on his face. " _And how have you 'ruined my plans', hmm?_ "

"You don't have as much control over my body as you liked me to think. Otherwise, you would've stopped me from leaving. Or you could've killed the others when they were all in one place. But you didn't. And that's because I need to be feeling a large amount of negative emotions for you to take over. So, until we get far enough away from Beacon, I'm not letting myself feel anything."

There was a silence and Jaune felt relieved. Like he finally got one over on the Ghoul. That was until _he_ started to laugh like a maniac. " _So, that's what you think, huh? Man, you're still the same old fool._ "

"What?" Jaune asked, not able to stop himself.

" _True, I don't have complete control, yet, but I have enough. And yes negative emotions do help but they aren't completely necessary._ " The Ghoul explained. " _And the reason I didn't kill them all was because it would be stupid to start a fight surrounded by dozens of Hunters to be. It would be suicide, even for something like_ _ **us**_ _. Besides, what would be the fun in that? I want them to fight back. To try to survive. Killing them in their sleep would be too dull._ " _He_ stopped talking before _he_ said one last thing that made Jaune pause. " _And as for not stopping you. Well, you shouldn't have left your scroll behind._ "

Jaune whirled around in shock. Before his eyes could land on the Ghoul, he heard the distinct sound of a Bullhead. He looked up and in the air a mile or two away was the Bullhead hovering. A few seconds later, he saw seven figures jump from it. He knew exactly who the first five were and the other two were probably two professors. "How did they find me so quickly!?" he asked out loud.

" _I left that map you looked at to find that airfield on your scroll._ " The Ghoul said smugly. " _And they probably guessed how far you had gone since you left. Well, if you were human that is._ " Jaune felt a hand land on his shoulder. " _You've done nothing to stop me, Jaune. In fact, if you hadn't tried to run away, who knows how long it would've taken for another opportunity to come._ "

Jaune quickly smacked his hand away and he started to run as fast as he could. He had to get away, get as far as possible. He only made it a few hundred feet before his legs seized up and he fell onto his stomach. He raised himself up on his arms and looked to see that he was in a large clearing. He tried to get back up but his legs wouldn't work. That's when he felt a weight settle into the middle of his back and apply pressure. " _This should be perfect._ "

Jaune fought against the weight so he wouldn't be pushed to the ground. He looked over his shoulder and saw the Ghoul over him with _his_ foot on his back. _He_ was just staring down at him. Demonic red stared into frightened blue. Then _his_ smirk grew. " _Shouldn't be long before one of them find us here. Time for some more fun._ "

With those words, Jaune felt his consciousness slipping slightly and a burning sensation start in his right eye. Jaune tried to fight against it, to stay in control. "Stop it. Now." Jaune said in desperation.

The pressure on his back grew and the burning sensation increased with it. " _Stop fighting. Just go to sleep._ " The Ghoul commanded and with it, his world went black.

Jaune's body fell to the ground. After a few seconds, he moved so he was sitting on his knees. He looked up to the sky as his smirk stretched across his face and his right eye was now glowing red. He stood up with that insane chuckling coming from his throat. He shrugged the knapsack off his shoulder and tossed to one of the trees. It smacked into it and laid on the ground. He slowly gained control of his emotions, " _I wonder who'll it'll be this time?_ " He cracked his right index finger and waited.

* * *

Ren and Nora were racing through the Emerald Forest. When they arrived, the seven of them split into three teams: Ruby, Weiss and Oobleck went east. Pyrrha went with Port to the west. Leaving Ren and Nora to head north. They all wished each other luck and agreed to call if they found him and check in every ten minutes or so.

They had just checked in a few minutes ago and Ren used his aura sense once again. This time, he was lucky. He had picked up his leader's aura. But something was off about it. He wasn't sure how to explain it but it just wasn't the same compared to all the other time she had sensed it. Before he could call the others, Nora had run off in the direction of their Fearless Leader with him chasing after her.

They ended up in a clearing with Jaune standing in the middle of it. He had his back to them but something didn't feel right to Ren. He narrowed his eyes as Nora ran forward, "Jaune!" she shouted. She was halfway to him when Ren's senses screamed at him. He quickly used his aura to clear the distance and reach Nora. He wrapped his arms around her stomach and jumped back, just in time to be missed by the red tendril that would've impaled her.

When they landed on their feet, they saw the tendril was connected to Jaune's lower back. It pulled itself from the ground and slowly retracted to him. He then slowly turned to them and had a malicious grin on his face, " _Damn. Was so close._ "

That's when Ren noticed a few differences with Jaune's appearance: He had numerous white streaks running through his hair and his right eye was black and red with red 'veins' running through it. Apparently, Nora had picked up on those two, "Jaune? What happened to you? And what is that?" she asked in concern and worry as she pointed at the tail.

'Jaune' chuckled and it made them feel uneasy. " _Well, Nora, this…_ " he moved his tail from behind him to cross in front of himself, so they could see it better, " _Is my Kagune. As for 'what happened to me'. Let's just say, I've awoken._ " With those words, two more identical tails, or Kagune, erupted from the ground towards them. They quickly separated and both jumped to either side, narrowly dodging the attacks. They rolled back to their feet and saw that his Kagune had stopped moving and had wrapped around their scrolls. " _And why don't we just keep this between us._ " He then crushed them.

They turned back to Jaune as he pulled his Kagune from the ground and a fourth one materialized from his back. They started to sway behind him as his grin took on a murderous edge to it. " _You better fight seriously. Or you'll just die that much quicker._ "

* * *

 **A/N- So, here it is. Next chapter will involve the Ghoul battling against the Renora/Flower Power couple. Who will win? Only people who know for sure are myself and my as perusal Betas, Jauneforever and Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh. Again, check these two out if you haven't already. Hope you all enjoy and I'll see ya in the next update!  
**


	7. Hammer Falls, Lotus Wilts

Unraveling the Knight

The Ghoul just stared at Ren and Nora as they looked back with looks of confusion and possibly fear. He just smirked as he cracked his right middle finger. " _Since this is a two against one, I think I'll use my new favorite form for my Kagune. With a few modifications._ " With those words his Kagune wrapped around his body, similar to when he attacked Yang.

His upper tails went over their respective shoulders and crossed over his chest. But instead of going down to the opposite side of his waist, they went around the opposite ribs. That's when they crossed over his back to the respective shoulders again. Instead of wrapping around the entirety of his upper arms, the Kagune just cover the outside of them. Once reaching his elbows they wrapped around his forearms before the tips split into five again and covered his fingers, giving him claws twice as long as before.

Meanwhile, his lower tails crossed his waist and stomach once again before covering his legs. But just like the upper tails, they only covered the outside of his thighs before wrapping around from the knees down. Finally, the tips split in two. One laid over the tops of his shoes and the other lined up with the back of his heel, giving him two talons on either foot.

This was his new version of his armor. It had 'evolved' for lack of a better term. This version of it, focused protection on the more important places of his body while not inhibiting his maneuverability. Along with giving him more ways of attacking. But again, he was a predator. He had to be at his peak to stay that way. And with the shocked and terrified looks on Nora and Ren's faces, he thought he did very well.

He lowered his stance and had his arms out to the sides, his claws ready to tear into whatever got in his way. " _I suggest you two take out your weapons._ " He said with that malicious grin still in place.

The two looked at each other before Ren turned to his leader, "Jaune, we don't want to fight you."

He just chuckled, " _I'm sure he'd appreciate that. But, I'm not Jaune. Not yet._ "

"What?" Nora asked, beyond confused.

The Ghoul just sighed, " _I've been through this enough already._ " He grumbled. " _Long story short, Jauney here was kidnapped, experimented on and tortured. All that was too much for his mind to take and I was made from that trauma. And I'm going to get rid of the people that are stopping him from doing what he needs to survive. Because that is what I'm here for._ "

That just shook the two of them to their cores. Nora was almost brought to tears at thinking that her Fearless Leader had gone through all that. Her and Ren didn't have the easiest time growing up. But Jaune's trauma was in a completely different ballfield to theirs.

Ren was just as shocked but his mind focused on something Jaune, no, this wasn't him. What _he_ said, getting rid of people. He voiced his thoughts, "You did it." The Ghoul and Nora turned to him. "You were the one that killed CRDL."

He just tilted his head as his grin grew, " _Yes, I did. Along with Blake and Yang._ "

That caused Nora to gasp and tears were building up in her eyes. Ren's eyes narrowed. "You ate them."

He nodded again, " _Those experiments turned Jaune into an extinct species known as a Ghoul. No, sorry, Half-Ghoul. And they can only survive by eating the flesh of humans or Faunus. That was the first real meal we had since coming to Beacon._ "

That made their stomachs churn. Ren shook it away and kept talking, "Okay, CRDL I can understand. I don't agree but I can understand. But why Blake and Yang? What did they even do?"

The Ghoul just shook his head, " _Doesn't matter, they're gone now. And you two are next. Then the other three will come after._ "

That's when Nora finally lost it, "Why would you do that?! Don't you know what that'll do to Jaune?! It'll break him!"

The Ghoul's face just became an even more twisted version of his usual smirk, if that was even possible. " _Exactly._ " That's when he shot off like a bullet towards the unsuspecting Valkyrie. His right claws came forward but she was quick enough to pull out Magnhild and shift it into its warhammer form. His claws hit the shaft of the weapon but the strength behind it still pushed her back. He reared his left hand back to claw at Nora but as he did, he was being belted with bullets.

He quickly jumped back and away from the salvo Ren was releasing on him. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he took off towards the ninja. Ren kept Stormflower trained on him and kept firing. The bullets were deflected off of his Kagune and as he closed in, Ren tried to slash at him with the blades on his guns. The Ghoul brought up his arms and caught them with the armor on his forearms.

That's when the Ghoul kicked at Ren's leg, the talons wrapped around Ren's lower leg, just above his ankle. The Ghoul swung his leg out along with Ren's leg, setting him off balance. The Ghoul then pushed forward and knocked Stormflower back. He then grabbed the ninja's forearms and connected his knee to Ren's chest. Which all resulted in Ren falling onto his back. The Ghoul capitalized by trying to shove his right claw through his chest.

That's when he saw something in his peripheral and turned to see one of Nora's grenades coming at him. He brought up both is hands up to protect himself but the explosion still sent him backwards and off of Ren. He was thrown back but he used his talons to dig into the ground to slow himself down quicker. His Kagune claws were smoking from the explosion but that didn't stop him from charging towards Nora.

She responded by firing a few more of her grenades. Before the first one could hit anything, the Ghoul had jumped high in the air. At his peak, he extended the claws of his left hand towards her. She narrowly dodged them and shifted Magnhild back into hammer form. That's when the Ghoul used his claws to pull himself towards her. Using that to increase the forced behind his attack. When he was close enough he performed a full front flip for an axe kick.

Nora held her trusted weapon above her head and met his kick. Her arms shook from the force behind it and the ground beneath them shattered. That exact second, the Ghoul placed his other foot on the shaft of her hammer. He closed his talons on both feet around it before he leant backwards. He dug his right claws into the ground along with his left and used that leveraged to pull Nora off the ground. He released her and she went flying through the air and into the charging Ren. He managed to catch her but he fell to one knee doing so.

Before the Ghouls feet could touch the ground, he spun his body like a break-dancer until he was facing the two again. As his feet touched the ground, he took off again, using all four of his limbs to push off. He flew toward them and at what he felt was the right distance, he slammed his hands onto the ground. That caused him to flip forwards and he pulled his body inwards to keep up the momentum, making him look like a glowing red ball, spinning towards the two.

Ren saw the unorthodox attack coming and quickly threw Nora to the side and out of the way. He then tried to jump out of the way. The attack hit the ground just a second later, the force behind it and sent him flying. While the debris hit him, lowering his aura before he tumbled across the ground.

Both sane members of JNPR were slowly getting back to their feet. The dust from the Ghoul's attack was clearing and they could still see him kneeling in the crater he made. He slowly started to stand tall and when he was at his full height, he cracked his neck to one side then the other. " _That it?_ " he asked sarcastically.

The two charged at him, intent on stopping him and find a way to get Jaune back. He crossed his arms across his chest before he threw his arms to the side, extending his claws again. Nora swung her hammer at the ground and used an explosion to send herself into the air. While Ren slid on his knees and bent underneath the attack. He got back on his feet on the other side of his arm and was running again. Or he would've, if a spike didn't grow from the side of one of the claws and extend towards him. He barely reacted in time to dodge but managed to get away with it only cutting his cheek slightly.

The Ghoul was retracting his left claws and was preparing for another attack on the off balanced ninja. That was until he heard the explosion from above him. He looked in time to see Nora coming down with her hammer. He quickly raised his left arm and caught the hammer on his armored forearm, although the strength still carried through and he felt his radius and ulna break in his arm.

Before he could power through, she released another explosion at point-blank range. That sent him flying directly at her partner. He took his martial arts stance and slammed his palm into the Ghoul's back, releasing his aura strike. This caused him to fly in the other direction and tumble across the clearing. He finally stopped towards the center of it and laid in a heap.

The two watched his body as they slowly walked towards one another. When they were standing next to each other, Nora spoke up, "Think we did it?"

Ren just kept watching their leader, "I don't know."

" _Well that depends._ " Said that distorted voice and causing them to tense up. That's when the Ghoul started to make his way to his feet as it chuckled. " _By 'it', do you mean stopping me? Or killing me?_ " He looked at them with that same bloodthirsty look as his head was off to the side from the impact he made with the ground. He used his right hand and popped it back into place. " _Because it seems you failed at both._ "

Ren just glared at him, "We would never want to kill Jaune."

The Ghoul chuckled at that, " _Those attacks spoke otherwise. If not for our higher regeneration, Jaune would probably be dead right now._ " He then shrugged apathetically. " _But why would you two care? To you, the only person that matters is the one standing beside you. Yeah, maybe you care for Pyrrha and the remains of RWBY. But Jaune? He is nothing to you._ "

"That isn't true!" Nora defended adamantly. "We love Jaune. He's our Fearless Leader, our brother!"

" _Then why do you insult him at every opportunity you have then pass it off as a joke?_ " The Ghoul challenged with a knowing smirk. " _Maybe you just enjoy being the one higher on the food chain for once. Rather than the weak and pathetic little girl you used to be._ "

Nora stared wide eyed and trembled. Ren took a step forward. "Don't talk about matters you know nothing of."

The Ghoul turned to him next. " _You're one to talk. How many times have you even had a conversation with Jaune when you started it? I could count all of them on one hand and still have extras._ " He shook his head slightly, " _But then again, your leader is too weak for your taste, huh? It would only make sense that you only put up with him._ "

He then placed his right hand over his face, " _Such a shame too. After the death of his family, he saw you two as his brother and sister._ " He looked at them between the gap in his fingers. " _But you don't care about him at all._ "

Both were just shaking from that, both angry by the blatant lies he was spewing. They both looked in his eyes, well focusing more on the red one, to search for any lies but found only truth. Insane truth but truth nonetheless. Ren was able to real himself in but Nora wasn't so lucky. She charged towards him without thinking. "Nora, stop!" Ren shouted in desperation, but it fell on deaf ears. She jumped at him with her hammer in full swing and a battle cry to follow it.

The Ghoul just smirked. His left arm was already healed and was already rising. The back of his forearm hit the side of the Magnhild, pushing it to the side to just miss him. As that was happening, he was stepping forward and wrapped his right hand around her throat.

She tried to thrash out of his grip but his left hand had a hold of her weapon and that's when he drove his knee into her solar plexus, knocking the air from her. With that brief second, he pulled Magnhild from her grasp and threw it to the side. He then shifted her so his right arm was around her throat and she was facing away from him and her back was against his chest as she shrugged to breathe again. He looked over her shoulder to see Ren pointing his guns at him, "Let her go." He said, voice filled with barely restrained anger and hatred.

The Ghoul chuckled, " _Or what? You try to fire and she becomes my shield. And if you take a step closer…_ " He had his right index finger's claws slowly leave a cut on her jawline, through her aura. " _I'll be forced to slit her throat._ "

Ren growled. He was feeling so helpless, just like when he lost his family and his home. He was pulled from those thoughts when he heard Nora barely speak, "R-ren…help…please..."

He swallowed before speaking, "Don't worry, Nora. I'm right here."

The Ghoul moved her closer and he took a deep inhale of her scent. " _Hmmm, she has such a sweet smell, doesn't she?_ "

Ren's eyes narrowed and his knuckles were turning white from how tight he was holding Stormflower. "Put her down!"

The Ghoul just smirked. He used his left hand to moved the shirt off her left shoulder just enough for what he had planned. " _One bite shouldn't hurt._ " That's when he sank his teeth into her shoulder. Her aura was still active but he used his enhanced strength to break through it. Nora gave a bloodcurdling scream as he did. Once he bit through her shoulder he pulled away with blood leaking down her shoulder and from his lips as he chewed on her flesh.

With a shout, Ren lost his cool and charged forward. His blades ready to tear into him. The Ghoul just smirked and swallowed the flesh in his mouth. He unceremonially dropped Nora and took off towards him. Ren was too enraged to realize the Ghoul was in front of him and he took a thrust kick to his chest that sent him flying backwards. Ren tumbled across the ground until he was on all fours and charged again with another shout.

The Ghoul waited for him to get close and Ren went for a slash for his face. He easily weaved around it and grabbed his extended arm and pulled him over his shoulder to slam him into the ground, cracking it. The impact making him let go of his weapons. Before Ren could recover, he lifted the ninja into the air by the same arm. Lifting him over his head and throwing him into the ground a few feet in front of him. This time, shattering the ground and his aura.

Ren slowly pulled himself onto shaky legs as he stared at the Ghoul with fury and hatred that would rival how he would look at the Nuckelavee. He clenched his fists, like he was prepared to fight him with only his fists. The Ghoul just looked on with that damned smirk. Ren took a single step and next thing he knew, there was the Ghoul in front of him. He then felt pain erupt from his stomach and with a gasp of pain, looked down to see his right claws impaled into his stomach.

He slowly looked back up to see burning red and cold blue look into his pink. " _One down._ " Was all he said as he pulled his claws from his stomach. Ren was breathing shallowly as his hand went to his wound. He took a step backwards then a half-step before falling to his back.

"Ren!" Nora shouted in despair as she pulled herself to her feet and started to run to him. _He_ just waited for her to get closer and when she was, he lunged forward. His left claws tearing into her left side and causing her to bleed profusely. The attack made her cry in pain before collapsing onto her stomach beside Ren. The Ghoul just turned to them as their blood dripped from his claws, " _And that makes four._ "

Nora was breathing shallowly as she slowly looked to Ren. She slowly extended her right hand to him as she bled out. "Ren." She said weakly.

By some miracle, he turned to her and reached his left hand to grasp hers, "I'm right here." He said weakly. "I'm so…sorry, Nora. I was…supposed to save you."

She slowly shook her head as she smiled weakly, "You…already did…all those…years ago…" Tears started to slide down her face, "Thank you…for being with…me until…the end…"

Tears started to slide down Ren's face, "I would…do it all…again…thank you for…being my…family…" His vision was going dark, "I….I…love…you"

Nora held his hand tighter, "I….love you….too"

With those last words, the two died together. The Ghoul just looked down at them as his Kagune unraveled from his body before disappearing. He looked up to the sky and started to laugh. He continued to laugh until tears started to slide down his cheeks and his laughter quickly became crying. He then collapsed to his knees as Jaune now looked down at Ren and Nora. His hands gripped the front of his shirt as he leant forward so far that his forehead almost touched the ground. He then let out a heartbreaking scream of anguish.

He just cried uncontrollably for what felt like an eternity. That was until he heard very familiar sounds. He tensed up and slowly looked up, with tears still falling, to see Beowolfs entering the clearing. They were attracted to his negative emotions. They wanted to eat. No, they wanted to eat Ren and Nora. They were going to defile their bodies.

His face settled into a snarl and he stood tall in defiance. "You won't touch them!" he shouted as he charged. As he was running, his Kagune erupted from his back. For the first time in his life, he was using the Kagune. Not the Ghoul. Him.

The tails started to lash around, cutting and tearing the Grimm apart. Any Grimm that got close to his dead teammates were torn apart. Jaune didn't stop. He kept dashing and charging the Grimm as tears still poured from his eyes.

Eventually, the Grimm stopped showing up and the corpses of the ones that did were already turning to smoke. Jaune just kept staring ahead as his tears finally stopped. His Kagune was still out and were swaying back and forth, ready to attack. He heard a tree branch snap and turned in the direction of the sound, ready to attack. But stopped when he saw who had entered the clearing. Port and Oobleck with Ruby, Weiss and Pyrrha just behind them.

The professors looked on in shock at the students, both dead and alive, and all the Grimm corpses. Meanwhile, the other three were just staring at Ren and Nora. They were trying to come to terms with it as they finally looked at Jaune. The pain in their eyes was too much for him. He collapsed to his knees and his Kagune dissipated in record time. He then looked at the ground as he brought both his hands to the back of his head.

The professors looked on in confusion as Oobleck stepped forward, "Mr. Arc, what happened here?"

He didn't react at first but slowly, he looked up to them all, his eyes just looking dead. "I did this." He said in a neutral voice, devoid of any emotions. "All of it."

* * *

 **A/N- Here is the next one. I'm surprised I got this out so soon. Was really in the zone I guess. Anyways, the scene with Jaune breaking down and using his Kagune was suggested by Jauneforever. I think I did it very well. Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh was the Beta for this as usual, go check him out. With that, I hope you all enjoyed and to see you all int he next update!  
**


	8. Depths of Madness

Unraveling the Knight

Professor Ozpin was sitting in a specialized room in Beacon Academy. It was rare but not unheard of for some students to fall off the moral path and use their skills and abilities to do horrible things. These rooms were devised to hold them until a proper punishment or sentence was figured out. The room was ten by ten; the walls, ceiling and floor were a stark white. The entire room was sealed with two feet of solid steel, making even the most powerful of people have a hard time breaking out. The only way in was a single door directly behind him, which only opened from the outside and only by the professors of the academy.

In the room itself was a single metal table, bolted to the floor and two metal chairs also bolted. Ozpin was sitting in one with his cane beside him and, unlike the norm, his usual mug was nowhere in sight. Just behind and to his left was Goodwitch, her arms were crossed and had a conflicted look on her face. They were both looking at the student in the chair across from them. He was sitting with his back hunched forward and his head looking down at the table. His hands were on the table with a pair of aura cuffs on his wrists, suppressing his aura and Semblance. His usual blonde hair was changed now, it was now almost stark white besides the tips of them.

"Mr. Arc." Ozpin said in a kind voice. The student in question didn't even move. "Please, talk to us."

The boy didn't even move. For thirty seconds, he just sat like that. He did speak after but his voice was devoid of all emotions and sounded broken. "I've told you everything that I need to, Professor. I killed Team CRDL, three nights ago. I killed Blake then Yang two nights ago. And earlier today, I killed Nora and Ren."

"But, why?" Ozpin asked but Jaune stayed quiet. He then sighed, "Mr. Arc…Jaune, Glynda and I are both aware of who you are. You are a kind boy with a good heart. You are someone that, even with your short comings, will always push yourself to be better. We know you would never do something like this unless you were pushed to do so."

Jaune didn't say a word, he didn't move. He just kept looking at the table in front of him. Ozpin leant forward just a bit, "Please, Jaune. We can't help you unless you talk to us."

With that, Jaune slowly looked up and met Ozpin's eyes. The Headmaster saw nothing in Jaune's blue pools. There was no emotions and looked so broken. "You can't help me. No one can." He looked back down. "The only thing left for me is to be imprisoned or killed. That's how you can help me."

Ozpin went to say something else but felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to see Glynda giving him a sad look. She knew as well as him that there was nothing they could do for him. He was dead set on not saying anything else. He sighed and slowly stood up, taking his cane. "Very well, Mr. Arc. We will need to talk with the Counsel to figure out what to do. You will be staying here." He just nodded slowly. Ozpin sighed again as he and Glynda went to the door. It opened a few seconds later and closed behind them.

When they left, Jaune finally let his mask fall and he started to cry again. For the friends he lost. For the ones _he_ killed.

" _So, this is your plan?_ " Jaune looked up to see the Ghoul sitting in the chair opposite of him. _He_ was leant back in the chair with his arms across his chest. He also had his legs resting on the table. _He_ just stared at his other half for what felt like an eternity before that smirk stretched across his face. _He_ just turned away and looked at the door. " _We'll see how well that works out._ " Jaune blinked and the Ghoul was gone. That didn't reassure him in the least and a chill went up his spine.

* * *

Pyrrha was sitting in her dorm with Ruby and Weiss. All three young women were just in shock. But all things considered, that was a normal reaction. The three of them along with Ren and Nora had gone to find Jaune. And when the three had found him, they saw him standing over the corpses of the two of them. After he admitted to killing them, Professors Port and Oobleck escorted him back to the bullhead at gunpoint and kept watch over on him in the same way. When they arrived at Beacon, Professor Goodwitch was waiting for them. She had placed aura cuffs on him and the three professors had escorted him to the holding room. The entire ride to Beacon and even when he was escorted away, he never looked at them. As if looking even in their general direction was considered taboo.

The three had no idea on what to do now. So, they just sat in JNPR's dorm and just waited. Pyrrha was on her bed and was just looking down at Jaune's scroll, like at some point it would go off and answer every question she had. Sadly, it didn't. Weiss was sat down at one of the desks, it just so happened to be Jaune's. She had her chin resting in her palm and was turned sideways to stare out the window as the sun was slowly setting, with a thousand yard stare. Ruby was sitting crossed-legged on Jaune's bed and had Jaune's pillowed pulled to her chest as she hugged it. She had her nose buried in it as she had such a lost look in her eyes.

Eventually, they were pulled back to reality as all three of their scrolls went off simultaneously. They checked and saw that they each had the same message from Professor Ozpin. It read as followed:

It is with a heavy heart that I send you this message. But as the partner and close friends of Jaune Arc, you have the right to know. With the overwhelming evidence that his unique Semblance matches the wounds of the victims of the murders from last few nights, he has been found guilty of murder of the eight Beacon students: Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. With him not willing to discuss this at all, the Counsel has come to the decision that he will be moved to the high security prison, Stalwart Heights, where he will be imprisoned until his execution date is decided on. He will be transported first thing tomorrow morning. That is all. My condolences - Professor Ozpin

The three just stared down at their scrolls. They couldn't believe this, it just couldn't be real. Pyrrha's hand was shaking as she held her scroll. Weiss was holding her's so tightly that it looked like it would break at any moment. Ruby dropped her's and it bounced off the bed before clattering to the floor. She buried her face into the pillow as she started to sob uncontrollably into it.

Pyrrha looked at the crying reaper and stood from her bed. She sat beside her and gently rubbed her back. Ruby pulled her head from the pillow and looked at the champion, who had the beginnings of tears in her own eyes. She then hugged her tightly and Pyrrha didn't hesitate to return it. "Why?" Ruby asked brokenly. "Why did this have to happen?"

Pyrrha just slowly shook her head as her own tears started to fall. "I don't know. I just don't know."

The two red heads held onto each other and cried for a few minutes before they were interrupted. "There's one way of finding out." The two turned to see that Weiss had risen from her seat and was looking at them.

"What?" Ruby asked, still too emotional to understand what her partner was saying.

"We can go try to talk to Jaune." She said and that got the two of them to stare at her wide eyed. "We can talk to him and find out why he did this."

Pyrrha looked away. "I don't think that'll work. Jaune has always kept secrets." Her mind went back to his transcripts. "I doubt he'll want to talk about this. Especially, if he didn't say anything to Professor Ozpin or Goodwitch."

Weiss shrugged, "Its either that or we stay here and constantly ask ourselves, 'why?' At least this way, we might get some closure." She looked back out the window, "Maybe even get something out of him to help him." She looked back at them. "Unless you two are giving up on him." She challenged.

Pyrrha, who was already stressed and her emotions were frayed, instantly glared at the Heiress, "Why are you so suddenly worried about Jaune? You made your feelings for him known to everyone."

Weiss looked away in shame, "Yes, I have. But even if I wasn't open to his advances, doesn't mean I want this to happen to him. Plus, if he _really_ did all of this out of malicious intent, why would he go to such extents to make sure Ruby and I were okay? Or look so broken while being around us?"

That took Pyrrha off guard but Weiss made some very good points. She looked from the Heiress to the younger girl still in her arms, "What do you think, Ruby?"

She looked at Pyrrha then Weiss before looking down. She was biting her lower lip and had a contemplative look. She eventually looked up with one last sniffle, "I want to see Jaune." She said with determination.

Pyrrha just looked at her for a few more seconds before she nodded and let her go. She stood up and spoke, "Alright. Let's go see him."

* * *

The three women were walking down the single hallway that lead to the holding rooms of Beacon. Pyrrha and Weiss were leading them as Ruby was lagging behind them slightly. They were passing doors that lead to about half a dozen of these rooms before they saw Professor Port standing in front of one of the doors with his weapon close at hand. He was reading a book as he stood there. He eventually looked up and saw the three students walking over to him. "Miss Schnee, Miss Nikos." He then saw Ruby behind them, "Oh, and Miss Rose, what brings you three here at this time?"

"We were hoping to see Jaune, Professor." Weiss said in her best professional tone.

He looked at her before shaking his head, "I'm sorry, ladies, but that is impossible. No one is to see Mr. Arc, besides us professors, until his transport. Counsel's orders." His voice seemed to hold some disdain with that last sentence.

Pyrrha decided to give it a try, "Please, Professor, this may be the last time we see him."

He shook his head again, "I'm sorry. But the answer is no."

Pyrrha and Weiss turned to each other, unsure on what to do next. That was when Ruby walked past them and looked at the Professor. Her eyes had clear signs of crying and her eyes looked so lost. "Please, Professor Port." She asked in a shaky voice.

The Professor looked at the young girl and was at a loss. He maybe a Huntsman with many Grimm kills under his belt but he was still only human. He sighed and looked back at all three of them, "I can give you a few minutes but that is all I can do."

They gave him weak smiles before he pulled out his scroll and opened the door. He stood to the side and let them walk in and the door closed behind them as they walked in. They clearly saw Jaune hunched over the table with the cuffs still on his wrists. He didn't even react when the door opened, just kept staring down at the table. "Jaune." Ruby said hesitantly.

That did get a reaction from him. His whole body went rigid but he didn't look up. "You need to leave." He said in a very neutral voice.

They all looked at each other, Pyrrha was the one to voice their thoughts, "Please, Jaune. Talk to us. We know there's more going on here than what there seems to be."

They saw Jaune clench his fists tightly on the table and he started shaking. "You need to go. Now." His voice had a hard edge to it and it sounded like he was struggling. Like every word was a labor to get out.

Weiss just narrowed her eyes, "We aren't leaving until you talk to us."

He stopped shaking and his hands unclenched. That's when he started to chuckle and that made them uneasy. That's when he finally raised his head and they all took a step backwards. He had a twisted grin across his face and his right eye was now black and red. It was similar to a Grimm's but held something much more sinister, an almost manic light. He then spoke up in a distorted version of his voice. " _It's good to finally meet you three in person._ "

"Jaune? What are you talking about?" Pyrrha asked, uneasily.

His eyes shifted to her and she notice that his left one was still blue and just looked cold, dead. " _Sorry, but I'm not Jaune._ " He leant back in his chair and rested his legs on the table. " _Think of me as his other half._ "

He noticed their confused looks. His smirk fell and he sighed, " _I've had to explain this too much._ " He raised his head and his smirk came back, " _But since this is the last time, I guess I can suck it up._ "

" _You see, Jauney here has been through more than you could imagine. When he was sixteen, he was kidnapped and sold to this crazy doctor. His name was Watts. He was trying to bring back an extinct species back to Remnant, known as Ghouls, and he used Jaune as one of his many guinea pigs. He injected him with vials upon vials of different chemicals that nearly destroyed him, but to no success. Eventually, he lost his patience and decided to surgically implant some organs they managed to clone from the last known Ghoul. And it finally worked. That turned him into the world's first and only half-Ghoul._ " He smirked at them.

They each had disgusted looks on their faces, "What was the point in all of that?" Weiss asked.

He shrugged, " _Don't know. Maybe the advancement of science. Maybe he was paid to or was under orders. Either way, it all comes down to one reason why anyone would want to do this: they wanted a way to make an army of beings more powerful than any Huntsman or Huntress out there._ " The smirked more at their shocked looks. " _Oh yeah, Ghouls were in a-whole-nother league. Their bodies were a lot tougher, able to endure much more punishment and they had a healing factor that let them recover from almost anything. Along with that, their senses were greater than a Faunus and their speed, strength, reflexes, you name it, were pushed to the levels of superhumans. And on top of all that, they could use an organic weapon from their bodies because of a unique organ in their bodies. A Kagune. Trade off was that Ghouls bodies were incapable of producing an aura or Semblance._ " He looked up at the ceiling. " _But half-Ghouls have all the benefits of both: enhanced physique and senses, healing, Kagune, aura and possibly a Semblance._ "

"So, you showed up when Jaune became a 'half-ghoul'?" Ruby asked a she tilted her head.

He chuckled and looked back down at her, " _No. That wouldn't be as fun._ " He shook his head, " _No, after Watts was convince that he had succeeded, they needed to test him. So, he handed Jaune over to this other bastard named Tyrian. For months, that Faunus tortured Jaune every day. He would cut deeply into his body with his bladed weapons, shoot him from point-blank to mid-range with his guns, rip off his appendages from finger and toes to arms and legs. And if he was feeling particularly sick, he would inject him with poison from his stinger, causing him unimaginable pain. But no matter what, Jaune would just heal up and be ready for it all over again. He was in the definition of Hell._ "

He looked back over to see all of them looking sick. He didn't give them a chance to recover, " _That was until that one faithful day. Jaune's fragile and cracked mind finally broke. And all that trauma created me._ " His smirk grew again. " _And I did the only thing that was right. I killed those bastards Tyrian and Watts. I ate them and slaughtered anyone else in the facility before burning it all to the ground._ "

"You…ate them?" Pyrrha asked just over a whisper. She was showing both disgust and horror.

" _Right didn't explain that. Ghouls can't eat regular food. They can only eat the flesh of humans, Faunus or even other Ghouls. Although, they don't have to eat as often. Maybe every few weeks or so._ " He shook his head, " _Anyway after that, I gave the controls back over to Jaune and we made our way back to his family. They were so happy to have him back and he, them. That was until they found out what he was now. And that made them afraid of him. That fear just kept building until that all lead up to another faithful night._ "

"W-what happened?" Ruby stuttered out, afraid of what she'd hear.

He looked to her with an evil gleam in his eye, " _They tried to kill him in his sleep._ " That shocked them all. They all heard how much his family meant to him and to hear that they had tried to do such a horrible thing was huge. " _So, I did the only thing we could do. I took control and slaughtered them. All of them, even his younger sisters._ "

With those words Ruby was shaking like a leaf and tears were escaping her eyes. Pyrrha quickly wrapped her in a hug to try and help her. Weiss glared at him, "You bastard." She hissed.

He just laughed at that, " _That's exactly what he called me afterwards._ " He then sobered up and had a serious expression for once. " _He found a way to lock me away, deep within his mind after that. That's when he came here to try and be a Huntsman. To try to repent for what he did._ " He scoffed, " _What a waste._ "

" _But, Beacon turned out to be a blessing, for me. Being looked down on by everyone and being surrounded by so much disgust and hatred. Well, that wasn't good for Jauney's already damaged mind._ " He chuckled again. " _All it took was one very bad day, his mental, physical and emotional limit to be reached. And he finally gave in and let me take control. So, I killed CRDL. To feel the trill of the hunt once again and to let us finally eat a proper meal._ "

"Okay. CRDL I can understand, but what about the rest?" Weiss asked. "They were Jaune's friends, why would you do that? You would know what that would do to him, better than anyone. This will all just break him."

He just turned to her then looked at the other two. And a different grin stretched across his face. " _Exactly._ "

That caused them all to stop. Pyrrha was the first to speak, "What?"

" _You seven were his friends. You were the only thing he cared for anymore. He believed that you all needed him and that he'd do anything for you. But because of that, he refused to eat flesh and caused our body to decline._ " He shook his head in disgust. " _That fucking idiot would've killed us. And for what? You all?_ "

" _I was created to help us survive. But, he is the greatest risk to that survival._ " His twisted smirk came back in full force. " _So, I'm going to put a stop to that. I'm going to kill everyone he cares about. That shock, plus the fact that it was him that did it, will break him beyond the point of no return. And I'll be able to take control. To be the real Jaune Arc. For good._ "

He looked them all over one more time, " _I am so glad you three are left. You three are the ones he cares about above all the others._ " That gave them a mild shock, " _His crush, his partner and his best friend. Once I kill you, I win._ "

He stood up and they all took a few steps back from the sheer killing intent coming off him. " _You three should enjoy the time you have left. They can't keep me here forever and when I'm free…_ " he pointed a finger at them. " _I'm coming for you._ "

They all just stared at him in fear. But that was when Ruby stepped forward and glared at him, "We will stop you. And we will get Jaune back. I won't let you kill my first friend. Someone else I love."

Everyone was taken back from that. That's when Pyrrha stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder as she glared at him in turn, "I'll be right there with you." Weiss stepped forward and mirrored the champion but was silent.

The Ghoul just looked at them and chuckled in amusement as he sat back down, " _I can't wait to see you try._ " He looked back at them with psychotic glee. He popped his right index finger. " _That'll make this all so much more satisfying in the end._ "

With those words, the door opened to reveal Professor Port, "Ladies, your time is up." They nodded before turning and leaving. When the door closed behind them. The Ghoul chuckled one last time and relinquished control back to Jaune. He just shuddered and lowered his forehead to the table to cry once again. He just wanted this all to end.

* * *

It was a few hours later, it was dusk and Doctor Oobleck had just relieved Professor Port of his position. He had just unlocked the door to bring him some food. What he saw shocked him. Jaune was on the floor, his back to him and blood was pooling underneath him.

Oobleck dropped the tray of food and ran over to the student, "Mr. Arc?! What happened?!"

He flipped the boy over to show a deep gash across his stomach and the source of the blood. The Doctor quickly pulled up his shirt to get a better look at the wound but was shocked to not see even a mark, just dried blood.

That's when Jaune's eyes opened, his right glowing red. Two tails erupted from under him before the Doctor could react. The first slammed into his stomach and slammed him against the wall, driving the air out of him. That's when the second one hit his head and drove it into the wall. Knocking him out. The Kagune released him and he fell to the floor.

The Ghoul stood up and used his Kagune to break his aura cuffs, feeling his aura being released again. His Kagune retracted into his body and he cracked his wrists afterwards. He then leant down to the professor and took his scroll. He used it to unlock the door and he stepped out. He looked up the hall and saw no one. He started to walk away as the door closed behind him.

He then used the Doctor's scroll to send a message to three people: Meet me where the relics were.

He thought it poetic to end this where it all began. He smirked and released a chuckle as he crushed the scroll in his hand. He then dropped it and sneakily made his way to the Emerald Forest to wait. This would all end tonight.

* * *

 **A/N- Here it is. I have to agree with the Ghoul, mentioning the backstory so much was so annoying. Anyways, next chapter is the last, so prepare yourselves. Again, Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh and Jauneforever were the Betas, check them out if you've ignored me the last ten times I've written this. With that, I'll see you all in the next update!  
**


	9. The End of Madness

Unraveling the Knight

The Ghoul was sitting on top of the ruins the students had to find during their initiation. He was just staring up a the fractured moon with that twisted smirk on his face and his hair almost completely white besides the tips. " _Soon. It'll all be over soon._ "

He just closed his eyes for a few seconds when he heard a voice, "Don't do this." When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in a large room. It had a stark white floor with black walls and ceilings. In the center of the room was a single chair and chained to it was Jaune Arc. He was looking up at him with a desperate look in his eyes, "Please, just leave them alone. They did nothing-"

He was cut off when the Ghoul punched him across the face. His head whipping to the side and he spit up some blood. He looked back up to the Ghoul and he had an annoyed expression. " _Shut it. You had your chance, Jaune, and you've thrown it away at every opportunity. Now, we do this my way._ " His smirk came back with a vengeance and he gently patted his cheek, " _It'll all be over soon. Just relax and soon, you'll be able to rest. For good._ "

He turned away and started to walk away as he heard Jaune futilely struggle against his bonds. The Ghoul stopped, " _Oh wait, I forgot._ " He snapped his fingers and screens appeared in front of Jaune. Each one lit up and showed one of the many times they killed someone. From Watts and Tyrian, to his family, CRDL, Blake, Yang, Ren and Nora. They were repeating the events and Jaune just stared in horror. " _Something to enjoy until the main event starts._ " He started to walk away and heard Jaune scream in despair. That just caused him to chuckle.

* * *

With that, he opened his eyes and he was back in Remnant. He heard a rustling from the trees to his left and as his eyes drifted over there, a Nevermore the size of a small car, broke from the trees and flew towards him. Without moving, his Kagune erupted from his back and impaled the avian Grimm through its head and out the back. It dissolved almost instantly and that's when he stood tall from his spot. " _So, you're finally here._ " He turned to his right and saw the three women walk out into the clearing. Each armed and holding steely determination in their eyes.

His smirk stretched just the tiniest bit as he jumped down from the ruins, leaving about twenty feet between him and his prey. His single Kagune was swaying behind him calmly. " _Thank you for coming but excuse me._ " His other three tails erupted from his back with that and he cracked his right index finger. " _I need to slip into something fitting for this encounter._ " With those words, his Kagune wrapped around his body to from his 'predator mode', but with a few more modifications. As his Kagune wrapped around his forearms and lower legs, three six inch blades grew from them. They curved away from his wrist and ankles, making it so any forwards attacks would slash but backwards would tear. Adding more offensive capabilities. Along with that, the tips of the tails split into three for his feet. Two laid on top of his feet while the third aligned with his heel, forming more dangerous talons.

He looked at their shocked and fearful expressions. Once he killed them, he'd call this his 'Apex-predator mode'. Seemed fitting. " _I hope you've prepared yourselves because I'm coming for your necks._ "

That made them all tense and take half a step back. Ruby reclaimed her senses and took a step forward. "Please, Jaune, don't do this. Come back to us." She begged.

The Ghoul just chuckled, " _Sorry to disappoint you but he's not able to do that._ " He pointed at his head with his claw. " _I locked him in the cage he stuck me in. And to punish him further, I'm having him relive all the murders I committed using our body._ "

That made the three of them glared at him heatedly. "Give him back." Pyrrha hissed at him as she got Milo and Akouo at the ready.

The Ghoul made a thinking pose before he answered, " _Maybe I should._ " That shocked them all. " _I mean, think about it. He was suffering for months and you all didn't notice. Or just didn't care to._ " Pyrrha clenched her weapons harder with his words. " _I could easily just let you all have him and just wait. You'll just keep hurting him and all that pain will just make me stronger and break him even more but much slower._ " Weiss was shaking in anger now. " _You being his friends is crueler than anything I could do to him._ " With those last words, his grin grew.

That was too much for Ruby to handle. At that moment, she shot forward in a cloud of rose petals. She curved around him and reappeared behind him with Crescent Rose fully deployed. She slashed down vertically to have her blade bite into his shoulder. The Ghoul easily spun around and caught the snaith of her weapon easily with his right hand. She stared in shock as he readied his left hand. " _Too easy._ "

He shot it forward, towards her heart when it slammed against a Glyph that formed between them. His senses picked up the sound of mecha-shifting and he quickly releases Ruby, who rushed away in a flurry of petals. He used both his arms to guard his face as bullets collided with his Kagune-armored arms. When they stopped, he felt his legs becoming encased in ice. He lowered his arms and stared at the champion, who had her gun trained on him, and the heiress, that was in her usual fighting stance.

" _Just so you know, when using my Kagune, all my aura is channeled into it. So, my body does not have its usual protection. Which makes me susceptible to most damage. And even if I can heal from virtually anything, if you destroy my heart…_ " he pointed at it before raising it to his head, " _Or my brain, I'm dead. For good._ " That caused them both to freeze and he smirked more. " _Just thought you should know. Kinda ruins the purpose of saving him, if you kill him in the process._ "

He bent his legs slightly and had his claws at the ready. He shattered the ice and shot towards Pyrrha. She was shocked by the sudden attack but quickly managed to raise her shield. His claws scraped off her shield but still sent her sliding backwards. The Ghoul pulled his left arm back, to send his claws after her, but he was interrupted when a slam cyclone slammed into his side and started pushing him back.

He quickly grabbed the ground with his talons to stop himself and looked to see Weiss with the cyclone coming from Myrtenaster. He smirked and threw his right hand to the side, shooting his claws out like tendrils where they impaled into the ground. He pulled himself out with them and as he was flying through the air, he impaled his other set of claws into the ground as well and used them to fling himself at the heiress. She quickly used a Glyph to form a shield between them. The Ghoul flipped so he would land on it with his claws and talons, holding him there and shocking Weiss.

In response, he just tilted his head and the blades on both his arms extended into tendril and whipped around the Glyph to impale her in a pincer attack. She quickly formed a second Glyph below her to send her backwards as the tendril narrowly missed her.

The Ghoul launched off the Glyph towards her but at an angle where he was several feet above her. Her eyes widened and she quickly slid her fingers across her blade, setting it aflame. She then swung it to send a wave of fire at him. He did nothing to avoid it. He let it pass over him and on the other side of her attack, his cloths were singed and he had burns across his exposed neck and face.

As he was on top of her, he used his right talons to grip her left arm painfully. He had his arms spread and his claws at the ready. That was when he heard the familiar sound of a bolt-action rifle. His smirk stretched again. He shot his left talons in the ground to pull him back to earth. He spun the two of them as he was pulled. As his left foot finally touched the ground, Weiss screamed as a sniper bullet impacted her back and damaging her aura. The Ghoul looked over Weiss to see the shocked look on Ruby's face. His smirk stretched further as he raised his right arm, ready to use the blades on his arm to tear into her chest.

Or that would've been if it wasn't for the shield that collided with the back of his left knee. That caused him to collapse to the ground and freeing Weiss who quickly used her Glyph to get some distance between them. The Ghoul saw the shield return to Pyrrha and he growled in annoyance. He shifted into a four-legged stance and shot off with his speed and strength.

Pyrrha got into a defensive stance with her shield at the ready. The Ghoul saw this and twisted his body just enough to miss her. As soon as he touched the ground. He quickly shot off to pounce on her. She quickly used her Polarity on her armor to spin herself around. Claws met her xiphos and shield and the two stared at each other heatedly. Red with manic glee and bloodlust. Green with determination. The two broke apart before going at each other with a flurry of attacks.

Sparks were flying from their assaults. Weiss and Ruby were standing on opposite sides. Waiting for the right moment to intervene without endangering Pyrrha. They didn't want to risk anymore friendly fire. Meanwhile, Pyrrha was having her own problems. Unlike mostly everyone else she fought, the Ghoul had no metal on him, so she couldn't use her Polarity to affect his attacks. Plus, his fighting style was unlike any she had faced before. She could see some kind of style at its core but it seemed to mostly rely on savagery and primal instincts.

Their melee came to an end when Milo came down on his forearm and he used his blades to lock her blade to move it to the side. He reared back his right arm and she quickly raised Akouo to defend. He swung his arm down on it and caught the edge of her shield with his blades locking onto it. He then slowly moved her shield to the side as well. The two were in a deadlock and staring at each other. Pyrrha was struggling to regain control while the Ghoul was having no such trouble keeping them like this.

" _Shocker, huh?_ " he asked with that damned smirk still on his face. " _Never thought that Jaune would be the most challenging fight of your life, did you?_ "

She gritted her teeth at him and spoke with her voice filled with venom, "You're not Jaune."

He chuckled, " _True. To you, Jaune was just your weak partner who couldn't do a damned thing without you._ " His eyes holding a cruel look to them. " _Newsflash, he survived hell without you and was fine. With all your worrying over him, it's odd that you never noticed how much he was suffering._ " That made her wince internally. There was some truth to that. " _Or maybe you did notice but, like the Cardin situation, you decided to do nothing. You wanted him weak, that way he'd rely on you more. That way he would belong to you and only you._ " The last sentence was said in a cruel whisper that made her freeze.

Even if she didn't want to believe his words, they did hold some truth. She did want Jaune to rely on her. She wanted him to come to her for help, to make himself better. She hope that doing this would make him love her like she did him. 'Is that really why I wanted to help him? Not for him reach his potential but just for some selfish reasons on my part?' Pyrrha thought to herself.

With that distraction, the Ghoul drove his knee into her stomach, knocking the air from her. As her grip weakened in that moment, he tore her weapons from her grasp. His left hand grabbed her ponytail and pulled her backwards, painfully. Pyrrha tried to cry out in pain but was still too busy coughing. Her teary eyes stared into the Ghoul's as he readied his right claw to gouge out her neck.

He was too absorbed in his potential kill that he didn't react until a bullet hit his right shoulder. He hissed and turned to see his whole shoulder frozen in a block of ice. He looked to see Weiss using her Glyphs with Ruby's weapon. She fired three more times, hitting his right forearm, knee and lower back. Pyrrha used this opportunity to break away from his grip on her but it tore the ringlet off she used to keep her hair back, letting it hang freely. Ruby was still unloading on the Ghoul, continuing to freeze him so Pyrrha recalled her weapon and charged him to capitalize on this opportunity.

The Ghoul had other plans though. His right side was almost completely frozen but his left leg was fine. He slid it across the ground before he fired off the three blades on it. Pyrrha stopped her charge to raise her shield, one bounced off the top of it and over her, while the second hit it dead center. The third however drove itself painfully into her stomach. She looked down as blood slowly dripped from it, luckily it seemed to be non-fatal and her aura would start to heal her once it was out. She looked back in time to be flung aside as the Ghoul used his left claw as tendril to knock her into one of the many trees, damaging her aura severely.

"Pyrrha!" Three people screamed. Two were from Ruby and Weiss while the third was internal and was from Jaune. The Ghoul quickly angled his right arm the best her could and fired off the blades on that arm at the other two, shattering most of the ice on his forearm in the process. The two didn't know how to react, they didn't see him do the same with his leg just seconds before since he was blocking it. One passed between them while the others stabbed into Weiss' right shoulder and Ruby's left thigh. Both cried out in pain as blood started to drip from their wounds and breaking their concentration.

The Ghoul quickly had his Kagune unravel from his right leg and arm to thrash around to shatter the ice around him. With his right Kagune as their tail form, he slammed them onto the ground to send him flying towards the two remaining members of RWBY. He had his left side positioned forward as his Kagune started to armor his right side once again as he flew at Ruby.

That was when he was suddenly driven into the ground, cracking it severely. After a second of lying there, he forced himself onto all fours, using all his strength to do so. He looked around and saw a massive black Glyph around him. He looked over to Weiss, she was focused on the Glyph holding him but had three smaller ones floating over her shoulders and aimed at him to fire icicles if needed. "Give up." She commanded.

The Ghoul just chuckled, " _Just like a Schnee to command everyone around her._ " His eyes took on a sadistic edge. " _Guess that's why you treated Jaune the way you did. You were so sick of being under someone else's foot, so you did the exact same thing with the first opportunity you found._ " That took Weiss off guard. _"Yeah, Jaune guessed about how severe your solitude was and wanted to help you. He felt a kind of kinship with you. That's why he wanted to help, why he was drawn to you._ " He chuckled evilly, " _But you didn't want his help. You just wanted to cause him as much pain as you could. You wanted to prove you weren't your father but that apple didn't fall far from that twisted tree._ "

Those words made Weiss feel like ice had filled her veins. It was a reality she never wanted to come true. She never wanted to be her father or anything like him. But, in this instance, she was exactly like him. She was pulled from that shock as burning pain erupted through her. She screamed in pain and her Glyphs disappeared. She looked down to see a glowing red and twisted tendril sticking out from the right side of her stomach, running her completely through. Her hands started shaking as the reality crashed down on her.

She looked up in terror as she heard him chuckled. He was standing and when he was at his full height, she saw that his claws on his left hand had extended and burrowed into the ground. She looked behind herself to see the same ones sticking out of the ground and through her back.

In a panic she pointed her rapier at him but it was smacked from her as he backhanded it after closing the distance between them. She then felt his Kagune pull itself out of her and they retreated back into the ground and back to being his claws. Blood was gushing from the wound but her still active aura was doing everything to slow it down but it wasn't strong enough to completely stop it. She collapsed to her knees as she stared in shock and her hands shaking like crazy. Her vision was starting to blur and she fell forward. Her breathing was choppy as she slowly looked up at him. He raised his claws, ready to impale her, " _This is the end, Snow Angel._ "

'No…No! Weiss!' The Ghoul heard Jaune screaming from the depths of his mind. His smirk turned manic as her brought his claws down, just for it to be intercepted by a sniper round. His arm was thrown to the side and made him take a step to the right. He glared at the reaper still kneeling on the ground a few feet away. She was glaring back and he growled in response.

He aimed his left arm and fired the blades towards her. She quickly used her Semblance to get away but she stopped after ten feet or so, tumbling across the ground and holding her thigh in pain. He turned from her to the heiress at his feet but that was when several bullets bounced off his armored back. He looked over his shoulder to see Pyrrha back on her feet, shakily though.

Knowing she'd keep at it, he turned to her and rocketed towards her. She quickly threw her shield as Milo was shifting out of its rifle mode. He quickly grabbed it with his left claw and spun his body counterclockwise to disperse the momentum. Once he was back to facing her, he threw his arm down and lodged the shield halfway into the ground before stomping down on it to force it down another quarter or so. He then leapt toward her to clear the distance.

Pyrrha quickly pulled her arm back before throwing her javelin forward with the help of a discharge. Milo flew directly at him but he didn't move or block the projectile. In fact, he barely reacted when the weapon went straight through his stomach and stopped halfway. He coughed up blood but that didn't stop him from landing in front of the stunned champion. His claws retreated up his arms so his hands were free. His left hand ripped off her gorget before his right wrapped around her throat. He lifted her off the ground as she struggled against him, clawing at his hand.

'W-wait! Stop! Stop! Please, don't do this!' Jaune cried out more in his head.

The Ghoul just ignored him as he strangled Pyrrha. " _You know, I usually prefer to cut and stab my prey. But this is also pretty fun._ "

Pyrrha kept struggling against his grip. Frantically, she used her Polarity on her weapon. It moved all of an inch out of the Ghoul before he threw her to the ground, hard. Her Semblance stopped instantly from the force behind the throw. Her head bounced off the ground, giving her a concussion.

Pyrrha was trying to regain her sense as the Ghoul slowly pulled her weapon from his stomach and his wound sealed up almost instantly. He threw her weapon as far as he could and into a tree. He looked back down to see her trying to stand. He just grinned and his Kagune covered his right hand again to form claws. He then slashed the back of her ankle, taking a chunk out of her and severing her Achilles tendon, causing her to crumple to the ground. He grabbed her shoulder with his left hand and pulled her onto her knees. She looked at him with glazed eyes as he placed his index claw at the center of her chest.

Her eyes gained some clarity with that and he smirked as he was about to drive his claw through her heart. He slowly pushed it in, hearing her scream as blood gushed out from around his claw. He was pulled away when something hooked around his stomach and pulled him back with a gunshot. He looked to see that Ruby had hooked her scythe blade around his stomach before firing to pull him away. She spun and sent him back. He skidded to a stop by using his talons in time to see her grab Pyrrha and disappear with her Semblance. He turned to see her lay the injured champion with Weiss before she turned back to him with a glare.

The Ghoul looked down to see that he had a deep slash across his stomach where his Kagune was missing but it closed up as soon as he looked at it. He looked up at her with a smirk as he realized she was still favoring her leg. " _That's twice now you've stopped me, Ruby. As a reward, how about a little deal? I'll let you run away to save yourself. All you have to do is just leave those two. What do you say?_ "

Her glare became more intense as she cocked her weapon, "I won't abandon my friends."

He just chuckled, " _Then explain Jaune._ " He raised his left hand and popped his index finger just before it was wrapped in his Kagune again. " _If you never abandon your friends, why did you never bother to look deeper into him? You saw him for the act he put up and never bothered to find the pain just below the surface. And you saw him as one of your best friends?_ " He shook his head in mock disappointment. " _Some friend you were._ "

Ruby lowered her head and was shaking. The Ghoul prepared for her to charge at him but he was shocked by what she said, "You're right." She looked up with unshed tears in her eyes, "I see him as my best friend but I never bothered to look deeper. I let him suffer because of my naivety. But that is why I have to save him. I need to show him how sorry I am and help him come back from all this." Her eyes hardened, "That's why I _will_ win!"

The Ghoul just stared at her for a few seconds, " _No. You'll fail._ " He then performed a roundhouse kick with his right leg to fire his last blades at her.

She jumped over them before turning into a cloud of petals and starting making irregular laps around him. The Ghoul used his senses to keep up with her. Her speed was still being affected by her wounds so he could manage it. She appeared a few times from different angles but he managed to block her attacks. He started to lash at her with his claws as tendril but continued to miss. He was becoming annoyed with this and needed a new strategy.

After one last attack, his Kagune started to unravel from his body. Ruby didn't know what he was planning but couldn't risk it. She flew above him and solidified before firing every bullet she had at him. His tails started to bat them away and with his vision obscured by them, she shot on last time to come down on him. She managed to get past his Kagune but didn't realize they had slowed down and almost stopped. Crescent Rose went through his right shoulder and into his chest. She landed on her feet and was about to continue her assault when she heard something that made her freeze. "Ruby?"

The Ghoul didn't say that. It was Jaune.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him in horror. He refused to look at her as he just stared at the blade in his chest. "W-why?" he stuttered out. "D-did you r-really just want t-this? R-revenge?"

Tears started to pour from her eyes. "Jaune, no! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She quickly pulled her weapon from him and quickly tried to grab him as he started to fall backwards.

It was too late when she saw the smirk on his face. One of his Kagune smacked her weapon from her hand as the two upper ones wrapped around her arms to restrain them. The left lower one wrapped her legs together before all three lifted her a foot or so off the ground in a 'T-like' pose. He stood back up as he laughed like a mad man. He stopped and stared at her with his glowing red eye, " _That worked too well._ "

She just stared at him in shock and he chuckled more, " _I guess I'm a better actor than I thought._ " He gave her an apprising glance, " _Too bad. I was hoping to leave you for last. Oh well._ " His grin grew as his last tail was prepared to strike. " _Say, 'hello' to your sister for me._ "

With that, his Kagune shot forward. Pyrrha and Weiss shouted her name in desperation. The attack struck true, completely running its target through. Ruby's eyes widened as blood spilled form the wound.

And the Ghoul coughed up blood.

He looked down in shock to see his own Kagune running through his stomach. His shock turned to anger once he realized what happened. " _You bastard!_ "

In their mindscape, _he_ was bond to the chair once again as Jaune stood across from him.

Back in Remnant, Jaune's left eye, which for so long was cold and emotionless, was now shining with a light of determination. "I warned you to stay away from them."

Jaune gently lowered Ruby to the ground before releasing her. She stared at him in shock. This looked like Jaune except that his right eye was still the Ghoul's, "Jaune?" she asked in a whisper.

He nodded with a small grin, "Yeah, it's me, Rubes." That's when one of his Kagune touched the wound on her leg before it started to glow white and her wound was closing. His other two Kagune stretched across the clearing before gently laying over the other two's severe wounds, who were staring at him in shock. "I'm using the aura stored in my Kagune to heal your wounds. You should be fine soon."

" _Don't think this'll change anything!_ " the Ghoul shouted using Jaune mouth. " _You may have control now, but I will get it back! You're just delaying the inevitable!_ "

Jaune nodded, "True. You'll always fight for control. No one will be safe with that. That's why I'm doing what I should've so long ago." Jaune's voice was hard with determination.

The Ghoul's eye widened in fear, " _No…No! You can't do this! I won't let you!_ "

"You have no choice in the matter." Jaune replied simply.

" _You're really willing to do this! For them!_ " the Ghoul shouted in disgust.

Jaune just shook his head in pity, "You don't understand, you never have. So, I'll explain this to you, one last time: They're the ones that matter."

With that said, the wounds of the three women were healed. He dismissed the other three tails besides the one running him through. "I need to say this now before I lose my nerve." He took a deep breath. "I love you. All three of you." They three were shocked at his words. "I have for a while now. I'm not sure whether it's in a familial way or romantic, but I do love you all. That's why I have to do this." He pulled his Kagune free. "Ruby. Pyrrha. Weiss. Thank you for being there for me. Don't waste your tears on _something_ like me. I'm not worth it." He gave them all a small smile as they stared at him in shock.

His Kagune prepared to deal the finishing blow as the Ghoul screamed from within his mind but unable to do anything. They all realized and shouted for him to stop but it was too late. It came forward and through his heart. Jaune's eyes started to close and the last words out of his mouth were, "Good bye…"

* * *

 **A/N- Here it is, the end of the story! This one was pretty interesting to write. Wonder how many of you expected this ending though? Anyways, I'm so glad I was able to finish this whole thing by Halloween. Would've been pissed if I didn't. I do plan on releasing a epilogue for this in the next few days or so. That said, I'd like to thank my Betas for this story, Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh and Jauneforever, this probably wouldn't have been as good as it was without them giving me suggestions. I hope you all enjoyed this and hope you'll be excited for the epilogue. See you all in that update!  
**


	10. Epilogue: Repentance

Unraveling the Knight

Ozpin was sitting in his office, his chair spun to look at the setting sun with a somber expression on his face. It had been a hard week at Beacon. He had lost eight potential Hunters but above all else, eight young lives were cut short because of his negligence. More so, a young man with more potential than he had ever seen had been suffering for so long and he had been too blind to see it.

Ruby, Weiss and Pyrrha had told him everything that Jaune, no the Ghoul, had told them. And as ludicrous as it seemed, he knew about the existence of Ghouls oh too well. He had been the one to bring them to the brink of extinction in one of his past lives. They were going to align themselves with Salem and if that were to happen, Remnant would've stood no chance.

Maybe he could've helped Jaune before it went as far as it did but he didn't. And because of that, the same tortured soul had killed himself to protect the few people that he still had in his life. That had been a few days ago and those three young ladies may blame themselves, but it was all just misplaced guilt. The blame was solely on his shoulders.

"Ozpin. Ozpin!" came the disgruntled voice from the screen on his desk.

Ozpin gave a near silent sigh as he turned back around. "Yes, Councilman?"

"We need to know what the hell has been going on at Beacon! The public has been hearing rumors and we need to stop them by giving them the truth."

Ozpin took a sip from his nearly cold coffee, "As I've said before, an unknown assailant, that we originally thought was a Grimm, had managed to infiltrate Beacon and managed to kill the first year team, CRDL. The assailant managed to kill four other students before we were able to capture Jaune Arc. We believed it was him because of circumstances and his recently discovered Semblance. We were wrong however and we released him to help bring in the real killer. It finally came to an end when the remaining members of the two teams found and fought him. The other three of them were injured while Jaune sacrificed himself to bring the threat to an end."

This was the story the Professors had agreed on once the three students told them everything about Jaune. They all agreed that they didn't want to drag the young man's name through the mud due to circumstances he could not control. The three students had also agreed. Since only the professors and the three of them knew of Jaune's capture and the fourth years that found him after the death of Yang never saw his face, it was easy to keep the truth hidden and give everyone this partial truth while letting Jaune be the hero he always strived to be.

But, that didn't seem to be enough for the Councilman, "Well, who was this assailant? Could you not identify him by his body?"

Ozpin just shrugged, "We never had the chance. By the time the students had shown us where the body was, it was gone. Most likely devoured by Grimm. And they could not give us a description of him since he had his face always covered."

"Well, what about these students? We can question them." The Councilman growled out in annoyance.

Ozpin just shook his head, "That would be impossible. They are no longer at the Academy. Those three have lost close friends and teammates. Along with one of them losing a sister. I agreed to let them return home to mourn and grieve with their families."

The Councilman seemed to seethe for a bit before he took a calming breath, "Very well. It seems like we can do nothing else at this time. We'll send this off to Miss Lavender so she can start spreading it. I just hope something like this doesn't happen again, Ozpin." He threatened mildly.

Ozpin just raised an eyebrow, "You and me both. But for now, I have some students that have gone through hell and need assistance. So, good bye, Councilman." He cut the feed before he could reply. He turned back to the sunset and sighed sadly, "Hopefully, this is the right choice. Those four have been through enough."

* * *

In a seedy part of Vale, a young man was going through his apartment, his temporary home. He was going through collecting the supplies he needed and putting them into his knapsack. It had been a stressful couple of days to get them and figuring out what to do next. Along with getting a new outfit. He was wearing black pants and long sleeve shirt. Along with matching gloves, boots and belt. To finish it was a knee length, black trench coat with a high collar that extended up to cover his face from his nose down.

He looked up from his bag and looked into the mirror on the wall. His appearance was changed now and it was still a shock for him. His normally blonde hair was returning and from the roots to about halfway down was blonde again but from there to the tips was still stark white. Aside from that, his right eye was now a milky white and, now, blind. He sighed and took a black eyepatch from his trench coat pocket before placing it over his head and cover his eye. This was the new appearance of Jaune Arc.

He didn't expect to survive, he shouldn't have. But by some miracle he did. After he had impaled his heart, destroying it completely, everything went black. Next thing he knew, he woke up in the infirmary a day later with Ruby in the bed next to him. Weiss and Pyrrha were there and after tearfully crying on him, explained what happened.

After he fell to the ground, the three had run to him. They checked his pulse and felt none as his Kagune disappeared. Next thing they knew, Ruby screamed in anguish and a bright silver-white light came from her eyes. When the light faded, the two saw Ruby had passed out before Jaune's aura surrounded his body and his wound healed instantly in front of them. Jaune's unconscious body took a shuddering breathe and he was back to the world of the living.

A confused Jaune started to panic, what if the Ghoul took over again. That was when Ozpin stepped into the infirmary. After calming Jaune down, he had explained what he believed to have happened. The Kagune of a Ghoul had an even greater recovery rate than the rest of their body since it was their weapon. On top of that, being a half-Ghoul meant that Jaune's aura had funneled into it, making it highly saturated with aura. He then explained that Silver eyes were an extremely rare trait with many near mystical properties. His hypothesis was that when Ruby's Silver eyes activated, it remotely activated the remains of Jaune's Kagune still inside his chest. The Kagune attached itself to the pieces of his heart and with the help of the high amounts of aura, created him a new heart along with restarting his system.

Jaune was still looking into the mirror and pulled his shirt down enough to see the massive scar that took up half his left pec. There was an identical scar on his shoulder blade, the only reminder of what he did to himself. Aside from that, Jaune had found that Ruby's eyes had purged the other personality and weakened his Ghoul-half's grip on his body. He could still form his Kagune but it was severely weakened, he could only create a single tail now. His physical attributes had also weakened but were still high enough to be considered sub-superhuman. The best thing that came from it was he no longer had to eat flesh, he could eat normal food again. Although, it did severely damage his right eye. He was no longer just a half-Ghoul, he was something else. Instead of being more Ghoul than human, he was more human than Ghoul. Ozpin had been coining the phrase, Quinx.

Jaune sighed before letting go of his shirt. He reached down and threw his knapsack over his shoulder and looked down at the weapon on his bed. Crocea Mors. He gently ran his fingers across the sheathe before he picked it up. "I'll do it right this time. I swear." He said out loud before attaching it to his belt and closing his trench coat.

He left his apartment and out into the streets of Vale before walking away. He stopped and sighed as he picked up some familiar scents, "I thought I gave you all the slip."

He turned around to see Ruby, Pyrrha and Weiss standing behind him with their own knapsacks. "You did. Until Professor Ozpin told us where you most likely were." Pyrrha said with a small smirk.

His shoulder's sagged slightly, "Of course he did. Let me guess, he wants you all to keep an eye on me if I lose it again."

Weiss shook her head, "The Headmaster gave us no such mission. He just suggested we take some time to process what happened away from Beacon. So, we decided to accompany you for a while."

Jaune looked away in shame, "Why do you even want to be around me? I killed our friends. Ruby, I killed your sister."

He then felt two arms wrap around him and looked down to see Ruby staring up at him, "No, you didn't. _He_ did. You're just as much a victim as the rest of us and we should've seen how much pain you were in before any of this happened."

Jaune was having trouble meeting her eyes, "How can you just forgive me so easily?"

He felt someone else wrap a supportive arm around his shoulder before it turned into a hug. He turned to see Pyrrha hugging him as well. "Because you didn't do anything wrong. You did everything you could to stop what happened from becoming a reality. You went as far as killing yourself." Her grip on him tightened with those words.

He turned away from her as well, "I don't deserve this…"

He felt someone holding his hand and looked to see Weiss, "You've been in so much pain and so alone for too long. You looked so broken by what _he_ did. Even if you have nothing to make up for, you're hellbent on doing this. So, we're going to stick by your side."

He looked at the three of them in shock before tears started to slide down his cheeks, "Why are you all doing this for me?"

They looked at each other before Ruby was the one to speak up, "You told us you loved us, remember? Well, truth is, we love you too."

Weiss continued next, "Like you, we aren't sure if its familial or romantic. But its love nonetheless."

Pyrrha finished the thought, "You're not exactly ready for anything and frankly, we aren't either. But we have all the time to figure it out."

Jaune looked at all of them and he slowly grinned before pulling the three women into a hug. "Thank you."

They stood like that for a few minutes before they separated. They then started to make their way to the airfield for a flight out to a village in the countryside. They were quiet for a while before Pyrrha spoke up, "So, what should we call ourselves?"

Ruby thought for a bit, "What about JWPR (Jupiter)?" They all looked at each other for a bit before all agreeing. They didn't know what the future would hold for them. But they would deal with it, whatever it was. The four of them were broken, in so many ways but with each other, they'll be just a little less broken every day. By being together.

* * *

 **A/N- And with this, Unraveling the Knight is done. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I liked writing it. I'd like to thank you all for the support along with the two legendary Betas for this story, Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh and Jauneforever. I doubt this would've been as good without them giving me ideas and suggestions. Check them out if you haven't already. With that said, I hope to see you all around later!**


End file.
